


The Oasis and the Island

by StarlightAlien



Series: The Oasis and the Island Series [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, F/F, Fluff, Hollstein freeform, Smut, domestic hollstein, pregnant Laura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:19:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 213,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4591035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightAlien/pseuds/StarlightAlien
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carmilla works at the night shift of a drug store and writes lesbians femslash novels at her spare time. Laura is a sparkly wedding planner, with big life changing plans for her own future. And one broken heart could be the best thing that ever happened to the two of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Carmilla

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt to make a fic on the long run. English is not my first language and I don't have a beta. This is a way for me to exercise my writing in another language, so bear with me or give me some advice (I'll be much happier with the latter).

**Chapter 1 – Carmilla**

 

It was 11 O'clock p.m. when Carmilla started her shift at the 24Hs drugstore. She was naturally a nocturne person, so this was one of the best jobs for her. And it was just a 10 minute walk from her home. She got the job indication from her friend Kirsch, a lovable twenty something tall guy Carmilla met at college. Even though Kirsh was a loyal and upbeat person, he was a little bit shallow and not very much smart. He was still stuck at college after 5 years. His and Carmilla’s history had a rough start (Kirsch tried to hit on Carmilla several times before realized she was not in to him or any other men therefore) but after sharing stories about an unpleasant experience, they became the best buddies.

 

After 4 years, she left the university with a philosophy undergraduate degree and a huge debt in her pocket. So much for the dream to finish college. Even though she was not a fan of social interactions, her plan after college was to be a philosophy professor. In some way Carmilla thought she could do some good to the world making teenagers yet-to-be-adults use their brains to do something useful, like thinking about the origins of their own agony. It is an unusual way to help the world, but that was exactly what Carmilla was, an unusual person, tired of her attempts to make sense of the ordinary things of life.

 

What Carmilla did not expect, was getting so much trouble in her budget, ruining her bank account and the opportunity to fulfill her dream (or her destiny). Anyway, after college her plans had to change, in order to pursuit her master degree and possibly to apply for a position in a respectful university. Her plan now was to gain enough money to pay for her debts, her rent and other monthly bills, in 3 or fewer years, and then she could finally go to grad school.

 

The job at the drugstore didn't seem like a good deal at first. She had to deal with people (sick people, hypochondriac people, lost parents, drunk old men, horny teenagers, and all you can imagine) and her patience with people in general was not her forte. But the plus side was the endless minutes, some nights even hours, when Carmilla didn't has to deal with one single costumer. This idle moments was reserved for another activity that helped (and even more every day) Carmilla increase her income and make her more optimistic about her goal to vanish her debts. When no one was around, Carmilla used her free time to write lesbians femslash novels to sell them in the form of e-books at the Amazon store. An activity she mastered very well, only known for her roommate and former college friend, Lafontaine.

 

Carmilla liked to have her adventures with all the different kind of women, she didn't have really a specific type. Somewhere in her mind, she thought this encounters made her a better writer, which gave her to not a good, but great stories to be tell. Which led her to bigger sales numbers and thereafter more money. And more money meant less debt, less remaining days working at the drugstore. And all of that logic was enough for Carmilla to feel good about her short term relationships and one night stands. She never promised anything serious. It was all in the description of her profile at a random dating app. Carmilla was lucky to have a breathtaking look, making it easy for her to find what she wanted for the week. Unfortunately, she had had her heart broke once, but even that was useful in her side job. That was, at least, how she would like to label that dark moment of her life. Another (bad) experience.

 

When Carmilla was distracted by deep thoughts about her future, the door of the store was open. Carmilla let out a relieved sigh when she saw who was coming into the store. Tonight, Carmilla was working on the cash register, on a station across from the prescription counter, where Kirsch, her only other co-work was attending.

 

In a fast speed through the aisles, Carmilla saw the golden hair of a tiny costumer. She seemed to be in her mid 20s. Her name was a mystery to Carmilla. She had noticed the girl in the store for a couple of times, and every time Carmilla sees her, somehow her heart seems to beat a little bit faster. That scared Carmilla at first. Never a girl had caught her attention like that, what was kind of a discomfort. Not that Carmilla was against to be in a serious relationship. Deep down, she did want to have someone by her side of the bed in a daily basis. But the problem is that Carmilla never felt any kind of feeling or connection to anyone at that level. And this girl, this costumer she has only seen by the third time and barely traded two words, was the first person ever to intrigue Carmilla in a more complex way.

 

Even though Carmilla didn’t know the girl’s name, she gave her a nickname: Cupcake. The reason was simple, the first time Carmilla saw the girl, she was holding a cupcake, given it some bites and telling to the person on her phone how much that thing was good. She usually wears pencil skirt suits and a pair of heels. The Cupcake girl goes straight to the snack aisles and after a few moments she is in front of Carmilla with a pack of chocolate chips cookies. Just like the last time. _“This girl have a serious craving for cookies”_ – Carmilla thought to herself while she registered the girl’s purchase. The closeness of the girl before her, made Carmilla’s heart beat in a frenetic rhythm, given her the resolution to say something this time, something more than the usual register talk.

“This is the best brand of cookies, right?” Carmilla said still looking at her monitor.

“It’s not better than my friends homemade cookies, but this is the best thing next” the other girl responded with a bright smile. Carmilla couldn’t be happier with the positive reaction to her comment.

“Oh, now you’re gonna make me wonder about your friends cookies. It’s not fair, Cupcake”. It’s was not her intention to call the girl by her secret nickname, but since it was out there anyway, Carmilla just let it be. “It’s 3,45”.

Carmilla did not notice the girl’s lightly blush as she reached for the money in her pocket. “Well, maybe someday I could bring you a sample. Cookies are Perry’s master piece” the girl said while handing Carmilla the money. Their hands touched for a split second and Carmilla swallowed dry. She had a bit of a difficult time getting the change.

“I think I might like that very much.” Carmilla responded giving the girl’s change, using a sort of innocent tone in her voice and keeping a kind of shy smile. The Cupcake girl grinned again and Carmilla felt warmth in her heart. Another new thing to add to her list of unknown feelings. The girl reached for her change, touching Carmilla again in the process. As the girls turned and left the store, Carmilla felt a little bit empty again. As though as a cloud had covered the sun in a winter day.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was happy about her Friday. It was her day off, and her usual date night. Or, like she would like to call sometimes, her day for relax and research. Her date of the week was with a girl named Elsie, a hot blond a few inches taller than Carmilla. Elsie could be a gold mine material to Carmilla tales. For the last year Carmilla was working on a series called _Mircalla’s Nights_ , narrating the adventures of a waitress traveling the world and having sex with the most gorgeous women. Carmilla knew how lazy was to use an anagram for some names. Even her writer name was another anagram - C.M. Arcillma. But she also knew nobody would pay enough attention to that, or would simply care about the real name of a c-list femslash author.

 

So, Elsie. She was a striper. Not a little bit ashamed of her profession. In fact, she was very proud of it. Even though most of her clients were men, the act of make them craving for her, brought her a kind of satisfaction she would not find any other way. She had a lot of similarities with Carmilla, which was exactly what Carmilla was thinking after the first 30 minutes she and Elsie talked at a very crowded club. The place was Carmilla choice. If things would not get well with her woman of the week, Carmilla could simply dismiss the lady and find someone else right there. She didn’t like to waste her efforts to look fierce and sexy.

 

But this time things seemed perfect with Elsie. After a few moves on the dance floor, Elsie asked Carmilla to go to somewhere quiet. _“Bingo!”_ Carmilla thought. Usually Carmilla would goes to her date place or some cheap hotel room. She was afraid someone would be clingy and eventually return to her place unwanted (it happened once). But she decided to take a chance this time. If Elsie was really like her, Carmilla would not have any problem with awkward mornings. She would even be her _to-go girl_ , something Carmilla always wanted to have. A girl to please her at a random moment with no strings attached. And only some God would know what Elsie would have up in her sleeve.

 

“As much as like to talk” Elsie said pulling Carmilla by her shirt “I think we have better things to do, huh?”

 

Carmilla only had the time to close the door to her bedroom before surrender herself entirely to Elsie. She knew when was the time to be a top girl or a bottom one (she hated those terms, but they were in her mind often anyway). Most of the time she was the one in control. But this was one of those moments she knew she just needed to let things go. It was always a little bit scared for her to let someone else touch her like that. Maybe it was some reminiscence from a bad experience. Maybe not.

 

She was not sure how many hours had passed, or the number of orgasms Elsie gave to her. What she knew is that her decision to take the passenger sit was very wise. She did touch Elsie, sure, after all she was not a pillow princess. But all the new things she has learned was like to open a door to a brand new world. A world full of subtle touches, dirty whispers and the right amount of tongue.

 

In the next morning (but it was really afternoon), Carmilla found herself alone in her bed, but not completely forgotten. In her cell phone an unread message was on.

 

 **Elsie (10:15a.m.):** Good morning Kitty Cat, hope you had a great night. If you want to go for a round 2 just call me.

 

The text was enough to put a pleasant smile upon Carmilla’s face. As she bit her lower lip, her mind wandered to the best moments of the night. With a satisfied sigh she rushed to her shower. After dressing herself in something comfortable (an old rock t-shirt and sweat pants), she went to her kitchen for an early (in her usual hours) breakfast.

 

“Please, tell me you were just watching a very loudly and very realistic porn movie last night” urged Lafontaine, Carmilla’s roommate.

Carmilla let out a chuckle, pouring some milk and cereal in a bowl, sitting across from LaFontaine at the table. Her red hair friend, who considered themselves a non binary gender person, was eating a Chinese takeout. 

“That would make you feel any better, gingersnap?” Carmilla said with a snarky smile “Sure, it was just my computer.”

“Why do you that? Seriously, I thought after Ell you would never bring any other random girl to our place” they replied annoyed.

“Don’t go there” Carmilla said pointing her finger to her friend. Lafontaine just raised their hands in surrender. “It’s not my fault your sex life sucks.”

“Yeah, so just rub it on my face, vampire. Unlike some people, my sex life is directly connected to my love life, so it just how it is.”

“You should just enjoy life a little bit more. You’re young, full of charm and have a successful career in front of you.” 

“Tell that to all of the girls that had avoided me in the last decade, maybe if they hear it from you will make a difference.” They said in a sad tone. Carmilla swallow her last spoon looking more serious at her friend.

“Don’t throw yourself a pity party Lafontaine. You’re better than that.”

“Easy for you to say, Karnstein. Or should I say, Miss Arcillma?”

“Knock it off, Laf! You’re not the only one doing things for science.”

“Yeah, right. But that doesn’t explain why you brought someone home, and in the process gave me a month worth of the freakiest nightmares.”

“You know, you should consider yourself a very lucky person. Do you have any idea how many of my fans would like to have a chance to peek to a teeny-tiny part of my sex life?”

“I’m sure wouldn’t be enough people to fill my bedroom” they said in a very amusing mood. “But okay, I get it. Sex is part of your money maker and all, but that doesn’t explain why you brought that blonde over here”.

“So, you saw her” Carmilla said in a tease tone, arching one brow.

“Carmilla!”

“Don’t sweat, geek lab. That girl is a pro, she won’t be a problem, I swear.”

“Gee, Vampira! You got a prostitute? Oh Gosh, my nightmares will have no end.”

“Don’t be such a whine prude, Gingersnap!” Carmilla replied angry. “You should have no prejudice against a prostitute. And besides, Elsie it’s just a stripper.”

“Yeah, I feel much better now.” They said finishing their food. “I think that explain all the old tunes coming from your room” they shrug “you were getting a lap dance, weren’t you?”

“I’m not going to answer that. If you want to know more, you have to buy my next book.”

“No, thanks” they said leading to their room “not even all the advertising in the world could pull that off”.

“Such a prude” Carmilla ramble under her breath.

 

**+++**

 

After some hours of true sleeping, Carmilla was up and eagerly typing on her laptop. Her night with Elsie was enough for at least 3 brand new chapters in _Mircalla’s Night_ 3rd book. Carmilla could easily write an entire book just about that girl. Her content with Elsie gave space to a new line of thoughts. Instead the blonde stripper, Carmilla imagined the Cupcake girl over her lap, moving slowing over Carmilla, keeping her intense gaze the entire time. Then the fantasy changed, now Carmilla was the one hovering over the girl, making her blush to a scandalized shade of red. _“Just stop it, Karstein. A nice girl like her would never even take someone like you serious”._ And then the sensation of emptiness was back again. Carmilla should do something about it. And she would.

 

**+++**

 

In her next shift, Carmilla was again at the register station. Her preference was for the prescription counter, because that corner of the store was like an oasis of tranquility at the night shift. But Kirsch was there lately, using the free time to study for his finals, and Carmilla would have no argument about that. Also, Kirsch was there longer and he called dibs.

 

The door hanged open and for Carmilla’s surprise, the Cupcake girl was in. She went straight to the prescription counter, handing Kirsch a piece of paper. After a few minutes the girl was in front of Carmilla with a receipt, showing her remarkable smile. While Carmilla was processing the amount of the prescription (seemed to be some kind of vitamin pills) the girl opened her bag and took off a small see-through plastic container with a pile of cookies, placing them over Carmilla’s counter.

 

“You didn’t have to” Carmilla said caught off guard by the girl’s gesture “I was just been nosy”.

“Of course I had to” the girl said with a sheer smile “I’m not a tease. And, of course, you should know this amazing cookies exists, it was not only me blabbing about my friend skills. So, see, it’s a real thing.”

“Thanks, Cupcake” Carmilla said returning the same smile.

“Laura” the other girl announced. “My name is Laura. I’m not mad about the nickname, it’s kind of cute, but I think you should know my real name.”

“Okay” Carmilla said with a nod. “Thanks, Laura”. They looked at each other in an awkward silence until Carmilla realized what she was supposed to do. “Oh, it is 15,37”.

“Right” Laura reached for her wallet and handed a 20 dollar bill to Carmilla. After getting her change and her receipt back, she turned to leave, but stopped a little after, facing Carmilla again. “I’ll be back to get your feedback on the cookies. And for my tupperware too…” she was holding this apprehensive expression, like waiting for something from Carmilla.

“Carmilla. Yeah, sure.” Laura nodded to Carmilla.

“That’s a beautiful name.” Laura said while her cheeks got warm. 

“Thanks”.

“Well... bye, Carmilla!” And before Carmilla had a chance to respond Laura, the girl was already by the door, leaving the store behind her, and letting in her place the familiar emptiness in Carmilla’s heart.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was right. Her friend cookies was the best Carmilla ever had. Crisp on the outside, fluffy and melting in the inside. It felt like heaven in Carmilla’s mouth. She ate one after the other, finishing the small pile in less than a minute. She was looking forward to tell Laura how she loved the cookies (it was really nice to have actually something to talk about with Laura) and washed the plastic container, who was now ready to be returned inside her bag.

 

After a week of her brief talk with Laura, Carmilla was back to the prescription counter. It was Kirsch day off, and Carmilla took advantage of the opportunity to work on her book. It was a quiet day at the store so far. Her boss Vordenberg was snoring and drooling over the register station, what required Carmilla to eventually wake him up to serve a costumer. _“Christ, why this man is not retired yet?”_

 

The process of organizing her thoughts into the story to type later at her computer was making Carmilla a little bit horny, one of the down sides of writing erotica in public places. She was concentrating really hard in a particularly part about Elsie’s lap dance when she felt a shadow above her. But it took a few more seconds for her to realize that a costumer was in front of her. Carmilla was caught off guard by the noise of fingers taping against the counter. She looked up to an annoyed but beautiful face of a very tall red haired girl around her age.

 

“Huh, may I help you?” Carmilla asked, shaking her head a bit to move away the sex cloud of thoughts from her mind.

“I’m here to take some prescription pills” the tall girl said waving a piece of paper in front of Carmilla’s face. Carmilla pulled the paper from the girl, looking for the number code of the prescription. She went to the back of the store, moving her index finger around the paper bags with medications, looking for the right number. When her eyes laid over the exactly combination, she checked for the name of patience and the drug to confirm her match.

“Folic acid – Laura Hollis” _Holy shit!_

Carmilla looked at the receipt again, confirming one more time it was indeed what the red hair girl was there to take.

“Are you Laura Hollis?” Carmilla said to tall girl, back at the counter.

“No. She is my girlfriend. Why?” answered the other girl in a harsh tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Tell her to take one pill every day after the main meal” Carmilla answered at the huffy tone in the other girl’s voice, delivering her the bag and a folded sheet.

“Right. Thanks” the tall girl said in a more neutral tone, taking the medication and turning to leave the store.

 

Carmilla was left with a million thoughts about what just happened. So Laura had a girlfriend? Why she needed those pills? Why that girl was mad? She has nothing to do with Laura. Not that she knew Laura, but, really?

 

And with the certainty that she indeed knew nothing about anything, Carmilla logged in the drugstore system and typed the name of Laura Hollis in the prescription tab. And there it was, all the information about her prescription. The date was the same Laura went to the store and paid for her medication. Everything else checked. Carmilla even tried to see if any other Laura has had left any prescription at that very same day. No. So, yeah, this Laura Hollis was her Laura, the Cupcake girl. _“She was not flirting… was she just being nice? Damn, Karnstein.”_

 

The realization of the obvious conclusion gave her a timid but fast growing head ache. She wasn’t in the mood to work on her book anymore. In fact, nothing else was appealing in that moment. The more she thought about the girl the more she got angry to herself. Why she let her expectations for a stranger get so high? Okay, Laura was beautiful, nice, has the smile worth of a thousand of sunshines, warm golden eyes that could melt any stone heart… but even then, no, no, no. She should just stop thinking about the girl, period. Fairytales and happy endings was not in the stars for Carmilla.

 

Still wondering about her angst, Carmilla’s mind led to another thread of questions. Why Laura needed folic acid? Carmilla had been working at the drugstore for a few months now, but never really paid attention to some of the medication use. When a costumer needed some advice she would call Vordenberg, who was a trained pharmacist. And he practically lived there anyway. Now she wished she would have paid more attention. _“Or I could just use the internet, like most people do. Duh.”_

 

Typing in the drugstore computer, Carmilla just googled the name of the med, then… _holy shit!_ So, folic acid was something women generally uses as a pre-natal med to avoid the fetal malformation. Of course, this was not the only use of the substance, but Carmilla’s mind went to the worst case scenario. Was Laura trying to get pregnant? Or was she actually already pregnant?

 

**+++**

 

The best medicine Carmilla could take for her (kind of) broken heart was a date night with Elsie. Carmilla didn’t has the strength to start something new with another girl. It was time to see if Elsie could really be a good _to-go girl_. She decided to save LaFontaine from her lustful noises, meeting Elsie in her place this time. The blonde was more than happy to see Carmilla, offering her a chance to play with some of the toys from her extensive collection. Carmilla was fascinated with the variety and extravagance of Elsie’s erotic gear. And after every orgasm of that night, she thought about what she would have lost if she had engaged in any serious romantic relationship. Because, even though Carmilla didn’t have what some people would call a moral compass, she had her own principles. She was not a cheater. Be a cheater would mean to be a hypocrite, and Carmilla really hated hypocrite people. With all of her forces. So, if she would go for something serious, she would go for good. No doubt about it.

 

The night was amazing and Carmilla was able to clear her mind for most of the time. By the time she was woke up, she reached to her side of the bed and found it empty. Elsie left a post-it right on her alarm clock. It was 3 in the afternoon.

 

 **Out to work. Feel free to assault my fridge** \- was on the square piece of paper.

 

Carmilla stretched her arms and legs, leaving the bed. The good sensation of last night was fading slowly. She didn’t want to think about it. So she concentrated in her surroundings. Elsie apartment was a nice place. It was a small studio with navy blue walls and stainless steel appliances, with dark brown and black furniture. It was a bit dark, but somehow very cozy. Carmilla served herself with a bowl of cereal and milk. It was no trouble to prepare and easy and fast to get the dishes done. Carmilla liked to be practical.

 

Back in her apartment she went straight to the shower. The hot water helped her to feel a little bit better about everything. Like she would usually do, she sat at her desk and typed the highlights of her night. Then she would take her notebook and mount new chapters over her notes, using some drafts from her computer document. So she did it, like every other regular day.

 

**+++**

 

An entire month has passed since Carmilla heard the name Laura Hollis. She would be happy if the same thing could be said about her mind. Laura Hollis echoed in her thoughts more than Carmilla would like to admit. The good news was that in the last 3 days or so that familiar ache in her stomach was gone. And she had finally finished her third book of _Mircalla’s Night._ She named it _Lap Dances and Handcuffs._ Yeah, she knew it was a corny name, but it was corny and obvious things like this that caught the eyes of her readers. Her regular slang for erotica worked so much better than anything else she had tried. Like her big sunken ship, _The Distance Between Two Hearts._

 

 _The Distance_ , like Carmilla would like to call it, was a single shot novel about a deep relationship between two soul mates. Carmilla had put her mind and soul in that work, talking about how love and sex would complement each other in a perfect relationship. Her writing was seductive but not explicit. She used some of her own experiences and brought them to a new level, to a place she had never been and could only dream of. It was her master piece. The Mona Lisa to her Da Vinci. The very first time she was really proud about her work. But it was not what her fans had expected. It was the favorite of all time of a few tasteful bastards, sure. But it didn’t matter in the end. What the mass wanted, what could really help her pay her bills, was the cliché experiences, the old dirty slang and wild adventures. Like she did for her first series, _The Vampira’s Conquers_ , about the tales of a century old lesbian vampire sucking blood and eating women (pun intended).

 

It was easy now to compile a book with what people wanted. She learned that the hardest way. In spite of everything, _The Distance_ had a special place in her heart and in her bookshelf. It was the only book Carmilla had in physical form. A single copy printed on demand, proudly lying between _The Stranger_ (from her favorite philosopher Albert Camus) and _The Bell Jar_ (from her favorite author Sylvia Plath).

 

The sound of the door opening caught Carmilla’s attention. From her position behind the register she saw the familiar golden hair running through the store. Carmilla swore under her breath at the sight of the tiny ball of sunshine and happiness. She went straight to the snacks aisle, and then moved beyond a few more shelves to the women’s health session, hovering in a corner for a while. If Carmilla had paid the right attention to her work, she would know exactly what Laura was looking for. The girl took some boxes and looked at the labels, undecided of what she would choose. Carmilla almost left her station to help her costumer. It was what she should do at her work. She noticed Kirsch throwing sights at her, gesturing for Carmilla to do the obvious thing: help the girl. But Carmilla was frozen in her place. And when her foot moved a few inches from the ground, Laura was already in her way to the register station.

 

Carmilla took a deep breath and tried to plaster a smile on her face. The I’m-just-doing-my-work-in-the-most-helpful-way smile, at least. Laura showed a mix of content and nervous expression while placing her purchase at the counter.

 

“Hey” Laura said with a light hand wave.

“Hey” Carmilla said it back keeping a sober smile, eyes trained at Laura.

“So, I know I have disappeared for a while, you know the craziness of life and everything, but I hope you liked the cookies I brought you the other day”.

“Yes. Yes, sure. You were not kidding Cupcake… I mean, Laura. That was the best cookies I have ever had”.

“Aha! Told you!” Laura said pointing her index finger to Carmilla.

“I forgot your tupperware at home, I’m sorry”. After 2 weeks with that thing in her bag, Carmilla just threw the container in one of her cupboards.

“Not a problem, really.” Laura said with a delightful laugh. “You can keep it, I was just messing with you, I have a ton of them.” 

“Oh thanks”. Carmilla nodded to Laura, feeling that was nothing else to talk about. After the awkward moment of silence Carmilla downed her eyes to the products Laura had just put there. The big one was a pack of her usual cookie. The other was a… pregnancy test. Carmilla was not able to avoid the shock look on her face whilst holding the purple and white carton box.

“Yeah, like I said, the craziness of life” Laura looked at Carmilla face still processing what she just saw “I didn’t know if this is a good brand or not, and I have never needed one before, obviously cause I’m gay and I never had a pregnancy scare so this is new to me, but since I have decided to start a family and this is part of the process, you know, and I was feeling a little bit dizzy and tired” while Laura was rambling, Carmilla composed her face to an artificial smile in a desperate attempt to look indifferent.

“Laura.” Carmilla said waiting for the other girl to take a breath. Laura sighed and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Yeah, Carmilla”

“I have to be honest with you” Carmilla gave Laura an apologetic smile “I was supposed to know more about those things, it is part of my job, but, well… I’m also had never needed before one cause I’m gay too”.

“Oh” was all Laura could manage to say “Right, so…”

“But I’m pretty sure this is a good brand. See…” Carmilla pointed to the box “it says it’s the most used in the country, that means people trust it”.

“I think you’re right. That was why I chose this one. But I don’t know…” Laura shrugged.

Carmilla scanned the two products and said the total amount to Laura. After the final exchange was done, with a painful effort, Carmilla put on her best smile to Laura. 

“Good luck with your test”.

“Yeaaah!” Laura giggled raising her hand showing her two fingers “Fingers crossed! Thanks!”

When the door of the store was finally closed after Laura was left, Carmilla let out a heavy sigh. _“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I really, really need to get this girl out of my mind”._

 

**+++**

 

In the next morning, Carmilla woke up with an arm over her stomach. She groaned at the memory of her dream. The arm was not the problem, no. It was part of the solution. At least, it was suppose to be. She dreamt about what happened last night, but with a totally different approach. Or, with a totally different person. In a desperate way to take Laura out of her system once and for all, Carmilla called Elsie to a last minute to-go night. Elsie was worried Carmilla was getting too attached to her, but it was not really the case. Carmilla opened up about her insanely crush on Laura, earning Elsie’s sympathy and a very special treat for the night. For a few hours Carmilla was able to completely forget the golden hair girl with the brightest smile on earth. But her oblivious moment didn’t last long. Her night with Elsie was reprised in her dreams, but it was Laura seducing her instead, whispering all the things she wanted to hear and giving her a pleasure she never felt in her entire life. It was so frustrating.

 

How a stranger, a tiny human she barely knew, caused so much trouble? It was beyond all she could ever understand. Carmilla scooped out of her bed, going to her bathroom for a long shower. Elsie was still sound asleep. Carmilla didn’t want to disturb her, Elsie was always a decent host in regard to her. So she just got herself out of her apartment and went for a walk. She took the opportunity to hit her favorite bookstore where she found a used philosophy book she has never read before. It was a good purchase for her shift in the register station in a few hours.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla had spent a good amount of hours reading her new old book. There was something about karma and how all that shit could be the reason she was going through hell for her innocent crush. That was the only reasonable conclusion Carmilla could find about her affliction. Not able to really find a way to coping with it, all that was left was to wait time to pass and eventually everything would be back to the way it was.

 

Her shift was about to finish, but Betty, her co-worker who usually takes the morning shift at the register station, was not there yet. Carmilla was getting mad at the morning rush that was taking all the aisles of the drugstore. It was not a big store, but also not small, but for Carmilla 3 people was enough to form a crowd. The line for the cash register was getting long (4 people was a nightmare for Carmilla) while at the prescription counter Vordenberg was taking forever to enter data on the computer, forming another line of peeved costumers.

 

Carmilla looked furiously at her watch, making her best to scan the products at a fast pace. There was even a woman with a drooling baby waiting patiently behind an old man who was struggling to find his coin in a very worn out wallet. “That dime is here somewhere” he assured to Carmilla. The baby insisted in keep his big blue eyes on Carmilla for some reason, and the kid just turned all the experience a bit more chaotic for her. She loved children, even though she usually ignored them around other people (specially their parents), but this particular one was a living reminding of the undeniable reason Laura was out of her league. _“Where the hell is Betty?” ._ Carmilla thought

 

The door opened again and Carmilla almost cursed under her breath at the sight of a new costumer, when her stomach did that thing she loved and hated. Laura was there. Carmilla barely caught the expression of the girl, but she could know right away something was not right.

 

“Sorry! I’m just so sorry Carmilla” it was Betty getting all apologetic towards Carmilla.

“Just, let me finish a couple of costumers” Carmilla said hoping to get a better view of Laura. 

“Okay” Betty said uneasy. She was expecting a storming of broodiness from her co-worker, not a minor look of annoyance. In the past Carmilla had given Betty the killer eyes and some other ways of displeasure treatment because of a simple 5 minutes delay. After 20 minutes, she thought Carmilla could kill her for real.

 

Laura was back to the front, caring a small basket with some pills. And no cookies. Carmilla noticed her face and almost froze at the sight. Laura’s face was puffed, like she had spent the night crying. She was not wearing her business attire, but a pair of sweatpants and a Doctor Who t-shirt. Her hair was up in a messy bun. Something was really wrong. The old man was finally done and the lady with the kid was next. Carmilla was barely paying attention to the woman purchase when she noticed Laura eye’s meeting her own. It was for a brief second, Carmilla could see the pain in them. And then, Laura gaze went to a different direction, not much far from Carmilla. She was looking at the baby over the woman shoulder. Carmilla was only able to see the kid’s back. Laura’s façade went to a crash, her cheeks turned to red, her eyes filled with tears about to break.

 

“Excuse me” Carmilla heard from the lady with the kid. She had stopped her work and all of her attention was on Laura. Carmilla gave the woman an apologetic smile looking at her screen to see the total amount. She heard the door again, and noticed that Laura was gone. Carmilla turned to Betty before leaving her station.

 

“Take care of this” she said going to the direction of the door. She saw Laura’s basket with Tylenol and Aspirin laying on a shampoo pile. Carmilla took the basket and went out looking at any sight of Laura. Walking at the parking lot around the store (where there was other small business) she could notice a red Mazda not too far from the entrance. Getting closer to the car, Carmilla was able to recognize it was Laura indeed sitting at the driver’s seat. Laura eyes were lost somewhere in her steering wheel. Carmilla knocked on the window, gaining Laura’s attention.

 

“You forget this” Carmilla showed Laura her basket with the medication left behind. Laura scrolled down her window.

“You didn’t have to” her voice was shaking and fragile.

“Of course I had to” Laura reached the basket and held it on her lap.

“I didn’t intend to buy the basket too.” She said trying to sound funny.

“You can have it, we have a ton of those” Carmilla said trying to follow Laura’s lead.

“Let me pay for the pills, at least” Laura was reaching for her wallet and Carmilla touched Laura’s hands at the movement.

“No. It’s my pay back for the cookies. And I still owe you.”

Laura looked at Carmilla’s hands over her own. Tears came back in her eyes.

“Hey…” Carmilla hold one of the Laura’s hands and gave it a squeeze. “May I…?” Carmilla pointed to the passenger sit with her other hand. Laura gave her a nod, so Carmilla released Laura’s hand and turned around the car, opening the door and sitting by Laura’s side. Laura’s hands were now covering her face, a stream of tears rolling down her arms. Carmilla placed her hand over Laura’s shoulder patting lightly. After a few minutes of raw crying, Laura let her hands back to her lap. By that moment, Carmilla was already holding a tissue she had found at Laura’s glove compartment. Laura took the tissue and dried her tears carefully.

“Is everything okay?” Carmilla asked, regretting right after. What a stupid question.

“No. There is nothing okay”. Laura voice was almost a whisper. 

“Well, you can talk to me. If you want to.”

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I have all the time in the world, Cupcake”.

“Not here” Laura said after a deep breath.

“I think I know the right place for this conversation. If you want to, I can drive us there”.

“That would be very nice of you”.

“So, let’s go”. Carmilla grabbed Laura’s free hand and gave it another sympathetic squeeze, before she left her sit to take Laura’s place. She was not sure what to do about that whole situation, but one thing was clear for her. She would do everything to bring Laura’s angelical smile back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea for a while now, but didn’t have the skills (still don’t think I have) to turn this into a decent story. I am a faster writer in my native language, but not in English. It takes 3x more time than it should. I think with time I’ll be better at this and the story will be more decent. Maybe. Anyway, because of my struggle there will be no update schedule, but I will try to post one chapter every week. Let’s see.


	2. Laura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to dip into Laura's story. Perry makes her first appearance and Danny is back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a long one. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2 – Laura**

 

Laura was the kind of person who could light up an entire room with her smile. It was always have been like that. She is a naturally happy person. A smile was a simple reflex of her personality. Sometimes she could not understand why people would not appreciate all the beauty in the world surrounding them. A bright blue sky was enough to make the day a bit better. Her personality could attract people easily in her direction. And also could falsely lead them to think she was dumb or naïve. The same way Laura could be a delicate angel, she also could turn into a stressful ball of rage. It usually causes the most unusual reactions to people not aware of the entire nature of Laura.

 

But today was an extra especial one for Laura. She was not in her best bright moment, neither in her rage state. The smile on her face was automatic, but in her heart something was making her more anxious than the usual. Today was a day that could change her life forever. She was at her doctor waiting room for an appointment. Looking at her surroundings only made the experience even more stressful. After weeks of a complete battery of tests, Laura was finally able to know what the destiny had stored for her.

 

“Laura Hollis” a nurse called at the room. Laura was up, raising her hand.

“It’s me!”

“Follow me, please.”

 

And then she was at her doctor’s office. Laura kept her eyes over the plastic models of the female anatomy body on the table. The cervix one was gaining more of her attention. She thought about how sex could become so strange if you pay attention to all of these parts of the reproductive system in an exposed light. There was nothing sexy about it. And then she went to a new angle. How a child could fit in the narrow space of the uterus? She knew things would move inside of the female body, but still…

 

“Good morning, Ms. Hollis” greeted joyfully her physician, Dr. Collins, getting Laura out of her thoughts.

“Good morning, Doc” Laura replied in her best happy tone.

Dr. Collins brought a pile of paper and a chart. He placed everything over his desk and looked up one more time to give Laura a warm smile.

“So” Laura said trying to hold her own anxiety “What is your verdict?”

“Well, I have seen your tests twice, and we reached a conclusion…” Laura was sitting too dangerously at the very end of her chair. “There is nothing, medically speaking, that could prevent you to be pregnant”.

“Really?!”

“Yes, I’m sure of that”.

“This is… wow, this is very good news, Dr. Collins” Laura had tears threatening to fall over her face. She relocated herself to a better position at the chair.

“So, when do you plan to start the conceive process?”

“Right away. I mean, I will have to talk to my girlfriend before, but she was already on board when I mention about having kids a few years ago, and we have to choose a donor, make some plans for our schedule and our hose, and…I… I’m so excited!”

“Okay! I’m going to prescribe you some folic acid pills, I think it’s never too early to start with those.”

“Alright”.

“And Lucy in the front desk will give you some folders from cryobanks we recommend. Once you choose the donor you have to track your ovulation days to make the procedure at the right moment.”

“I’m already doing this, Doctor. I know exactly when my fertile days will be.”

“I see you are doing your homework just fine, Ms. Hollis.”

“It could not be any different, Dr. Collins.”

“Then you probably know that you can make the procedure at your home or here in the clinic.”

“Yeah, I do. I just don’t know yet what would be better.”

“The better is what it is more comfortable for you. It’s either in the comfort of your home, by the hands of your girlfriend, or here, in my office, smelling like a hospital and all.”

“Yeah, I see your point, doctor.” Laura blushed a little.

“Alright. Hope to see you soon with more good news, Ms. Hollis.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura had a goofy smile the whole way from the clinic to her work. Somehow, the sky seemed to be in a nicer shade of blue. Everything was more beautiful. Even the mistakes of others drivers didn’t interfere in the trance of good vibes over Laura. The streets were free. All the traffic lights turned green. It was like the universe was giving her big thumbs up to her decision.

 

Before she would notice, she was parking in front of the familiar gray building. Laura took the elevator to the third floor, heading to the office at the 307. Under the door number there was a peach color sign with the logo of her and her partner business, the I Do Wedding Planning. The company was created three years ago, when Laura’s former college roommate Lola Perry talked to Laura about her idea. Laura had majored in arts and graphic design, and was having a hard time to find a decent job in her field. Her last resort was to teach art classes at the local High School of the Silas City (a very unknown city in California, USA). Laura was not making enough money as she wanted, and getting too frustrated not having the opportunity to create something new. That’s when Perry came along and showed her what she had created in her business classes: a wedding planning company. Perry had all the business strategic planned, 50% of the money to start, and 50% of the workforce (herself, obviously). She just needed someone to bring the other 50% of the money investment, with a natural talent to deal with people, knowledge in graphic design and, of course, be trustworthy. Laura was the perfect partner for Perry.

 

They always got along at college. Perry was a neat freak, Laura loved to keep things clean and ordered. Perry was a gifted baker. Laura was addicted to sweets, especially cookies. Perry was pansexual. Laura was gay. Everything seemed perfect. Almost everything. One thing the two of them diverged immensely. While Perry liked to keep everything under control, calculating all of her steps carefully, Laura jumped head first on whatever her heart wanted to pursue. Of course Laura planned things too. But she was much more willing to take risks than Perry. Even when they decided to name the company, Perry was not satisfied with the name Laura came up with. _“It’s weird, people will be confused” _Perry said to Laura._ “See, that’s why it’s a good name. They will be curious and ask about it. And that’s when we do our magic and get the client, bam!” _ And as turns out, Laura was right. They caught the attention of a lot of people at a big business fair held in the heart of the city. It was their first attempt to get clients, and it was a huge success. Perry was relieved and happy. She realized she did the right thing in choosing Laura to be her partner. They balance each other in the right places. They kept fighting over their differences through the years, but they were getting better at reach a compromise.

 

“How was the appointment, sweetie?” Perry said with her usual caring tone when she saw Laura coming through the door.

“It went very well, Perry! I’m ready to start the conceiving process”. Laura rested her bag over her desk, while Perry was typing something on her computer.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so happy for you. And Danny.” Perry left her chair to give Laura a tight hug.

“Thanks, Perr!” said Laura returning the hug. “And yeah, about Danny… I really need to talk to her” Laura made a guilty face waiting for Perry’s reaction.

“Laura! You haven’t talk to her yet? What are waiting for?” Perry went across the office to reach the fridge and started to prepare Laura’s favorite cocoa. Laura followed Perry, while making her dramatic body movements she uses to tell her stories.

“I was afraid I could not be able to have children. Do you know how long it took for my mom get pregnant with me? Like 5 years! I didn’t want to bring the subject again not knowing if we would have big problems along the way. It would not be fair with Danny”.

“Alright, so don’t waste time now, Laura. You know we have a short window in our schedule for your maternity leave. We cannot afford more delays.”

“I know, don’t worry! I will tell her tonight. As soon as I leave work I’ll hit the drugstore to order my prescription _then_ I’ll go home to tell her the news. And…” she grabbed her phone “I’m texting her right now about it”.

“Alright then.” Perry handed Laura a mug with steamy hot chocolate. Laura smiled in appreciation. Nobody in the world would do it better than Perry. “And don’t forget our new assistant. We need one a few months prior to your delivering date”.

“I’m not pregnant yet, Perry, chill a little.” Laura said after a pleasant first sip.

“You know we can’t afford to lose our efficiency, Laura. Our clients are counting on us.”

“Everything will be okay, Perry. We have been through all the craziness one could get on this business. We had deal with more picky brides than Randy Fenoli. Nothing will take us down.”

“You are always too optimistic Laura.” Perry placed her hands at each side of her hip.

“There is nothing wrong about it, Perry. You’ll see I’m right.”

“I rather you would be more realistic” she shrugged. “Well, I prepared the cookies you asked me for. It’s in my purse, I’ll grab it to you.”

“I almost forgot about them.” Laura left her empty mug in the sink. The place was small but very organized, surrounded with big windows and peach and white curtains and white shelves. In the very center a fluffy white square rug marked the area for the clients, under a royal blue sofa, another 2 armchair with the same fabric and a (surprise, surprise) peach coffee table. Behind the sofa stood a large white conference table. At the very back were Laura’s and Perry’s L shape desks facing each other (the bottom of the Ls was where their desks met). In the left front corner there was a small kitchen/break room with a fridge, micro wave, a small sink, some cabinets and a fancy oven against the wall. A small table and 4 chairs completed the space. In the other side of the office, in the right front corner, was the restroom.

“Why did you promise to give my cookies to this girl at the Baron Pharmacy?” Perry gave Laura the plastic container.

“I sort of mentioned your delightful cookies for her, so I didn’t have a choice” Laura gave an apologetic smile. 

“It was Betty? You know, that lovely blond girl that works in the afternoons?”

“No. It’s the brunet one, with wavy hair and killer eyebrows?”

“The broody one?” Perry made one of her shock looks to Laura.

“She is not broody. She is always nice to me.”

“I think you are the only one. Hum, and why that would be?”

“Maybe it’s my keen fashion sense.”

“Oh sweetie! Sometimes you are so oblivious.” Perry patted Laura’s shoulder and went back to her work station.

“What’s wrong with my fashion sense, Perry?”

“Nothing Laura, I’m sure your broody friend will appreciate your gesture.”

“Of course she will, your cookies are amazing!” After glancing the container again Laura turned her back to Perry and opened the lid very carefully, taking one cookie and shoving the whole thing in her mouth.

“I wonder if she will have the opportunity to taste them any moment in this century” Perry said loud enough for Laura to hear, keeping her eyes in her computer.

Laura almost said something about her friend comment, but she was afraid to choke with the cookie and never be able to appreciate them again without a scary memory. And Perry was right, after all. Maybe she should just leave them in her purse.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was eager to order her prescription. As soon as she started the medicine, she would be one step closer to babyland. She would also use the opportunity to fulfill her promise to give the cookies she promised to that gorgeous brunet girl that Perry called broody. Laura had noticed the girl a few weeks ago, when things got wild with one of her clients.

 

Heading to the drugstore, Laura noticed how late it was. This should not be happening again. Entering the Baron Pharmacy, Laura went straight to the prescription counter. She barely paid attention to the conversation with the goofy tall guy who always seemed to be hitting on her. She was more interesting to know how long it would take for the pills be ready (1 week). Laura gave an amused smile to the tall guy (as tall as Danny) before heading to the cash register with the receipt.

 

The brunet girl was smiling at Laura sight ( _why Perry called her broody? Really?_ ) and Laura felt a nice sensation just seen the girl smiling at her. She was not sure why she felt that way about a stranger. The same way she didn’t know why she had mentioned Perry’s cookies the other day. After handy the girl the receipt, Laura eagerly took the tupperware container from her bag, and placed it over the cashier counter. When the girl noticed what was in front of her, she was in awe. Laura was almost sure the girl cheeks were a bit red.

 

“You didn’t have to” the girl was clearly surprised by Laura’s gesture “I was just been nosy”.

“Of course I had to” Laura said with a sheer smile “I’m not a tease. And, of course, you should know this amazing cookies exists, it was not only me blabbing about my friend skills. So, see, it’s a real thing.” It was beyond her comprehension how she could ramble like that at some inappropriate moments.

“Thanks, Cupcake” the other girl said giving a sheer smile. Laura liked the fact the girl gave her a nickname. She could easily associate the word _gorgeous_ to the other girl, but she would be dead embarrassed if she said it out loud. 

“Laura. My name is Laura. I’m not mad about the nickname, it’s kind of cute, but I think you should know my real name.” Laura did not intent to say the word cute, but it was out there. And that’s why she was afraid of secret nicknames. Her brain malfunctioned like that sometimes.

“Okay” the other girl gave a nod. “Thanks, Laura”. Laura loved the way her name sounded in the other girl’s mouth. It was just because her voice was incredible. Of course. But she didn’t say anything else, and Laura was not sure what to do next. “Oh, it is 15,37”.

“Right” Laura reached for her wallet and handed a 20 dollar bill to the attendant. The girl could even make numbers sound sexy. Laura received a few one dollar bills and a bunch of dimes and pennies and the most important thing, the receipt for her bills with a PAID stamp. She was almost leaving when she realized she didn’t know the other girl’s name. It was kind of unfair. So she turned back around.

“I’ll be back to get your feedback on the cookies. And for my tupperware too…” she was hoping the gorgeous girl ( _wow, you should just stop Laura_ ) would get the hint.

“Carmilla. Yeah, sure.” Laura nodded to Carmilla. For some reason the name seems to be just the right fit for her. She could only imagined how the last one would sound ( _ok Laura, just quit_ ).

“That’s a beautiful name.” Laura said feeling her cheeks getting warm.

“Thanks”. Carmilla smirked playfully.

“Well... bye, Carmilla!” Laura decided to leave before she would do another classic Hollis stunt.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was feeling a little more light than the usual. It was the conceive news, right. Of course. She was a little nervous to break the news to Danny, but knew how loyal and caring her girlfriend was. Laura met Danny at college, in her senior year. Danny was a freshman, and her stunning looks and tall figure (the girl was more than 6 ft tall) caught Laura’s attention right away. Danny had a beautiful smile, long red hair and intense blue eyes. Laura giggled like a child at Danny gaze. They were together officially for 5 years now, the last one sharing the same apartment.

 

Danny majored in physical education and sports, she used to be part of the track team of Silas University. Since the graduation, around a year now, she was struggling to keep her goal to be a professional athlete, but Laura was there giving her moral (and sometimes financial) support. Danny hated that some months she was not able to pay for her half of the expenses, and even kept a register of everything Laura had to cover for her. Someday she would pay back everything to Laura, with interest. Laura always assured Danny she didn’t need to pay for anything, they were partners and it was a part of their commitment. Laura was 4 years older than Danny, she was in a different moment of her adulthood. She knew Danny would eventually make it. Of course she would. It was just a matter of time.

 

Currently Danny was working as P.E. teacher in the same school Laura taught arts a few years back. She was not a fan of her work, some of her students liked to mock her height, it was like to be back in her own high school years. But the afternoons were way different. Danny kept her training routine like she has done in her college days. She was always attending running races, marathons and Track and field competitions. She had a nice collection of medals, but not a single sponsor yet. The competition was tough.

 

Laura grabbed her keys and unlocked the door of her and Danny’s apartment. Danny was sitting on the sofa, wearing PJs and flipping channels with the remote control.

“You seen to be in a very good mood today. I mean, more than the normal.” She raised one eyebrow making a seductive face to Laura.

“Yeah. That’s what I wanted to talk to you.” Laura sat by Danny’s side at the sofa and gave her a quick peck on her lips. “So, I have done some tests at the Dr. Collins clinic.”

“Is everything okay with you?” Danny face turned to a concern look.

“Yes! More than ok! You know we have talked about starting a family a couple of years ago?”

“Yeah. That would be great, Laur.”

“I’m glad you still think that, cause I did a series of tests to know If I can get pregnant”

“And?”

“The doctor gave us the green light! So, what do you think?”

“I really want to raise a kid with you Laura, but what about your work? Are you able to get so much time off?”

“I already took care of it. Perry and I will get an assistant, we are making enough to hire a good one. And, around the months I would be delivering, if of course I get pregnant in the next 2 months or so, we only have a few weddings to take care of, so Perry and the new assistant will be able to handle it.”

“Two months? That’s really soon!”

“Well, my biologic clock is ticking, babe. I don’t want to take a chance of having an unhealthy kid”.

“Laura you’re just 27. You talk like you were a little old lady.”

“Hey, that’s not cool. Our kid will have my DNA, so get used to another adorable tiny human.” 

“You know I love tiny humans.” Danny gave Laura another seductive look making her girlfriend a little bit flustered. “Okay. But what about the extra money? You know I don’t make enough as a teacher, Laur. And babies are really expensive. And I’m just talking about the baby stuff, we will need to pay a ridiculous medical bill.” Danny seductive eyes were gone again.

“I got that covered too. I have some savings. We will be able to pay for the cryobank, and all the baby stuff we will need. And the hospital.”

“Laura, I don’t want to own you even more money, you don’t have to pay for everything.”

“Danny, how many times I have to tell you to forget about this? We are a team! I’m sure someday you’ll make so much money you’ll buy us a huge house with a track course and a ridiculous big pool with a slide.”

“Do you think so? Do you really have so much faith on me?” Danny got closer to Laura, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

“I’m sure you are going to be a rock star of the velocity and resistance.” Laura decreased the distance from Danny.

“I like the sound of that. Rock star of the velocity and resistance.” Danny grabbed Laura’s ass and brought her girlfriend face to same level as her own. “You really thought about everything, Hollis. You’re so smart”. 

“Is that a yes?” Laura tighter her grip on Danny’s shoulder.

“No. This is a hell yes, Hollis! Let’s make a baby.” Danny kissed Laura eagerly. Laura wanted to scream in pure happiness.

“Oh, if only sex was what we needed to do the trick.” Laura chuckled at the thought.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun in the process.”

“I think you’re right, Ms. Lawrence.”

Danny kissed Laura again, separating their bodies a bit to remove Laura’s dressing shirt, reaching her breasts right after, squeezing them over the bra. Laura was so happy she couldn’t care less about Danny’s uncreative moves. She knew exactly what she would do next. Yeah, next she will take her own shirt and go for her neck in 3, 2, 1… _bingo!_ Laura used to bet with herself what Danny would do next, and she won almost every time. Danny could be a little more loosen when they had some wine. It was not the case this time, clearly. If it would be possible, Laura knew she could turn this into a drinking game. She would be dead drunk before the foreplay was over. And not to mention Danny’s foreplay was not always so effective. Somehow Laura knew she could be more turned on than that. At least it was like that in the beginning. Laura would be easily wet just thinking about Danny. Maybe it’s a thing that happened to couples on the long run. Yeah, it’s probably that. She could not be sure though.

 

Danny was Laura second serious girlfriend. The first one was Kirsten, Laura’s girlfriend from high school and her first sex partner. They both had zero experience and were clueless about what to do on bed. Laura read a lot of dirty fan-fictions (mostly about Hermione and Ginny) to guide her and Kirsten on their first attempts. It was messy, but they got some satisfaction out of it.

 

With Danny, many years later, Laura sex life became more complex and pleasurable, but deep down she knew it could get even better. Danny was a little stubborn and stiff. She didn’t like to try things she considered weird or gross. She could make Laura feels embarrassed sometimes, like she was a freaky pervert with a dirty mind. Laura always respected Danny’s will not pushing her girlfriend to do things she was not comfortable with. After all, she loved her and Laura was not a jerk. Danny was the first person Laura really loved and trusted. And she knew how things like that were so rare to find. She could not have everything, that was an unrealistic and insane standard. She should just be happy to have someone like Danny. So what if her sex life was a little (or a lot) frustrated? People have it worse.

 

But right now, Laura didn’t care. Danny was making her feel good, she was going to raise a kid with her and that was all that matter. Nobody has everything.

 

**+++**

 

In the next day, after another stressful day of work, Laura went home and joined Danny in the necessary task to choose their sperm donor. Danny was a bit moody because of some of her students, but didn’t complain to Laura about it.

 

“So…” Laura said with the laptop over her lap. She and Danny were sat at their living room couch, drinking red wine. “We can look for all the quality we want like, profession and personality or we can go straight to the looks road and take someone like you. Or me.”

“What about a mix of both?” Danny said scrolling through the pages of donor profiles in the cryobank website.

“Of our looks?”

“No. We can find a halfway between the guy personality and his looks. Like, your personality and my features, cause the kid is going to have your DNA anyway. What do you think?”

“That’s a good idea.” Laura gave Danny a warm smile. “So, we need to find a ginger blue eyes donor, who likes arts, cookies and wedding planning? Easy peasy!”

“Oh, he also has to be athletic, I don’t want a lazy kid.” Danny pulled the computer to her lap, making a serious concentrated face to the screen.”

“Babe, I was kidding” Laura took another sip of her wine. “This guy does not exist. If he does, I’ll marry him.” She gave Danny a lightly shove with her shoulder.

“I think I found one, look at this.” Danny passed her the laptop.

Laura squinted her eyes on the screen. “Hum, he went to Harvard, played for the football team, it’s an engineer. His hobbies are gardening and build ship models… let me see his baby pictures.” Danny scrolled down to show the pictures of the donor. All photos from the donor were portraying them as kids. It’s the policy to avoid people to track them or recognize the donor. Laura saw a chubby baby with spike red hair and intense blue eyes. A second picture was him a few years older with a sailor uniform, his features a little more clear. He had a nice large jaw and a nose long and thin, like Danny’s. “Yeah, his is cute, but I don’t know… engineer? Gardening and ship models? He has nothing in common with me.”

“He is a nerd, clearly.” Danny said in with a mock tone.

“Hey!” Laura gave another shove, harder this time. Danny was so amused at Laura’s suddenly burst of anger, she didn’t mind it.

“Okay, we can keep looking, Hollis.” Danny chuckled and searched for more profiles of red hair men.

After 2 hours searching they practically turned the website from the inside out. They came to narrow the candidates to a total of 3. The sailor baby engineer, a lawyer fan of Doctor Who (Danny didn’t like him cause the guy didn’t do sports) and a social activist who liked karaoke and fishing (the last one had anything to do with any of them, but seem to be a nice guy). It’s was late, they were tired and they had to wake up early to work on the next day. So they just called the night and decided to discuss what would be the chosen one another day.

 

**+++**

 

Laura free time was a rare thing lately. There was so much going on her life, she barely had time to feed properly. But with a slow weekend in front of her, and Danny out of town for a marathon in L.A., she could surrender herself to one of her guilty pleasures. Read femmeslash books. She was not into any fandom to bear fanfictions anymore. In fact, one of her favorite author was a sort of unknown writer that only sold her books in the digital form at the Amazon. It was great for Laura, she liked to make good use of her Kindle. And it was also an easy way to disguise her reading around other people. Especially from Danny. Her girlfriend always made fun of Laura for her _poor taste in literature_ or _kinky trash books_. Laura didn’t care. C.M. Arcillma never disappointed her. She had the capacity to take Laura to places she never been before (also her books were one of the reasons for Laura’s high expectations on her sex life). It was so relaxing to take a break from neurotic brides and rigid Perry.

 

It has been a while since Laura caught up with her reading updates. The last book she had read was the first of a series called _Mircalla’s Night_. Navigating at the Amazon bookstore Laura found out there was already a second book released in that series. The reviews were praising the new book (well, not that new anymore, it’s been really a while) and it got a lot of 5 stars. And a lot of good reviews too. Laura realized Arcillma became a lot more popular since the last time Laura had read something from her (or any other book for that matter).

 

With the possibility of a baby coming soon, Laura took advantage of the opportunity. She didn’t know when she would be alone to read in peace, or if she would be in the mood to truly enjoy Arcillma’s words. She filled her bathtub, threw some salt baths, lit a few candles and dipped in the hot water. She barely felt the hours flying through the day. Her eyes were too busy scanning the book. Her mind were somewhere far away of her reality. In fact they were somewhere in Mircalla’s bed. Grounding her to earth just the movement of her fingers over herself. She was trembling with waves of pleasure when her cell phone rang.

 

“Fuck! Oh Fuck. Who the hell…” she grabbed her phone over the stool by the bathtub, it was Danny’s id. “What?” she answered in a harsh tone.

“Oh, hi… is it a bad time?” Danny was apprehensive.

“No. Yes, I mean…” Laura felt truly bad about her overreaction. “I was, hum… cooking something and now it’s burned.” She could not think about any better excuse for her terrible behavior.

“Sorry, babe, I didn’t mean to ruin your dinner. What were you cooking?”

“Ahhh, It’s not your fault babe. I’m just clumsy, you know.” Laura took a deep breath in order to sort her thoughts “I was making French toast and scrambled eggs. At the same time.” 

“Breakfast for dinner, your favorite! Oh babe, I’m really sorry. Just because I’m not there... But you know you can’t cook them at the same time, this always happen.”

“Not always, Danny, don’t exaggerate.”

“Okay, babe. I was just calling to know how you are doing, I miss you.” Laura was mad at Danny habit to underestimate some of her abilities (though she had a point, but didn’t need to bring it up every time). But the guilty for her initial burst and Danny words of affection melted Laura right away.

“Burnt food aside, I’m really good, Danny. What about you? Is everything going as planned?”

“Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of big names in the competition and I’m the dark horse in this but, my couch Mr. Zanno said there is also a lot of potential sponsors too. So, I just have to give 100% and hope for the best.”

“That’s the spirit! I’m rooting for you, as always.”

“Thanks, Laura.” Danny made a pause. Laura suspected she was a bit emotional “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“So, I’ll see you in 2 days, alright, babe?”

“Yeah, alright. See you soon. Take care.”

“I will. Bye”.

“Bye”.

They hang up. Laura sighed leaving her phone back on the stool. She closed her eyes and immersed her entire head under the water. She had an idea. Her heart was beating fast, just at the thought of it. But It was happy beats.

 

**+++**

 

When Danny returned, Laura felt a new kind of happiness. With Danny’s presence back, Laura was sure her idea would work just fine. No, it would be great. She started to form a plan. And her medicine was part of this. She asked Danny to take it for her in the next day. She was stuck with a wedding emergency. Again. Danny was very optimistic. The marathon went well, she got a decent position among the top 20. Laura saw it as (another) good sign for her plan.

 

“So, that was intense” Danny said after she dropped the pharmacy bag on the kitchen counter. Laura got home a little early than she thought she would (that’s how wedding emergencies works, sometimes they not that urgent) and was cooking a late dinner for her and Danny.

“What?” Laura was concentrated on flipping burgers, she didn’t want Danny to have a reason to talk about her clumsiness again.

“That brunet girl from the drugstore, Morticia. She gave me the death stare out of nowhere” Danny grabbed one French fried from the portion Laura had fried.

“Morticia?” Laura placed slices of cheese over each burger and turned down the heat.

“Yeah, that broody punk death metal girl.” Danny was restraining herself from the urge to take Laura spatula and finish the cooking. “I don’t know why she’s always in a mood.”

“Are talking about Carmilla? Why everybody says she is broody?”

“Do you know her name? And who is everybody?” Danny’s attention on the food making was gone.

“Yeah, I talked to her a couple of times…” Laura was finally putting the bread, burger and cheese together. Another successful meal done without damages. “She was interested in Perry cookies so I gave a few for her”.

“You gave her cookies?” Danny voice was skipping.

“Perry’s cookies. I told her they were Perry’s master piece, so she was curious. It was not a big deal.” While Danny was setting the table, Laura took a can of grape soda and a Gatorade bottle from the fridge.

“If you say so.” Danny said in a condescending tone, swallowing her pride. The table was ready. Laura and Danny ate the dinner trading a few words. Laura was dying to tell Danny what she was up to, but hold it anyway. “And you are suppose to take your pills once a day with your main meal. Maybe you should take one now.”

“That’s a good idea.” Laura said placing a kiss in Danny’s forehead and taking the pills from the bag. One step of her plain was given.

 

**+++**

 

After a week taking her pills, Laura finally took the decision to call the cryobank. Her plan was to surprise Danny with the news of their coming baby. She decided to use the donor Danny liked the most (the football player engineer with sailor outfit) it was a good choice, she could admitted that. And she wanted to amend things with Danny once and for all. She called her doctor and made the appointment, she would make the procedure at his office, by the end of February on her ovulation day. It was another week from that day.

 

She had spent a small fortune buying the sperm. It was the strangest purchase she had ever made. In a few days the clinic would receive the vials in a cryotank to make the arrangements for her procedure. Her doctor said it could take around 5 attempts to make it work, but Laura was optimistic she would get knocked up in the first try. The only person Laura told about her plan was Perry. At first Perry was cautious at the plan ( _that’s so Perry_ ) but as the day passed by, and Laura told Perry how Danny was even making plans with her about baby names, Perry was more into the idea.

 

After the longest week of her life, Laura was finally at her doctor’s clinic to make the procedure. He explained it to her, in all possible details before performing it. Laura was nervous, for sure, but also very hopeful. The procedure was a bit odd, but she didn’t feel any discomfort. She waited for an hour before leave the clinic to head to her work.

 

When Laura finally reached the door of the office 307, she rested herself on the sofa, elevating her legs over the armrest, her back and head taking all the remaining space. Perry came over with a cozy smile holding a mug of hot chocolate and a tray of cookies. She placed the cookies over the coffee table, taking one for Laura. She pated Laura’s forehead.

 

“So, how it was, Laura?”

“Weird… like, you know, like it is when a stranger is poking your vagina. I know he is my doctor and this is his work, and the fact that he is a man made it a bit more weird, but he is a stranger anyway, so… it was weird.”

“So, weird. Okay.” Perry sat on the armchair. “But do you think it worked? How long will be until you know?”

“I have no idea if worked. I was afraid to stand up and walk, I felt like the baby, well the potential baby, would fall at any moment.”

“Oh sweetie, I can only imagine.”

“Yeah. Well, I’ll have to wait two weeks before make a test to confirm if I’m really pregnant.”

“Oh, you must be so excited!”

“Yeah. Excited and nervous and… all kind of feelings, but you know good feelings.”

“We’ll hope for the best.”

“Thanks, Perry.” Laura took Perry’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “For everything.”

“No problem, sweetie.”

“I’ll be here for a couple of hours, just to be sure.”

“Take your time, Laura, I think we’ll have a quiet day today.”

“I Hope so”.

 

**+++**

 

If the week before the procedure was Laura’s longest ever, the two weeks after was taking forever. It was all Laura could think of. She was also nervous around Danny, it was getting hard to hide the secret from her. At the same time she was truly happy. The real possibility of her dreams becoming true, so close of her reach, was pure joy. She caught herself looking dazzling to Danny, thinking about their future, imagining a kid with her features and her smile. Other moments she would imagine how Danny would be a great mother, making breakfast to them, helping them to get dress, to brush their teeth or just simply playing catch at the park. And how protective she would be to them. Yeah, Danny would be a mama bear to their kid, fearless and loyal.

 

The day finally came. But it took Laura a little while to realize that. She woke up feeling ill. It was the second day in a row. She did eat a suspicious burrito last night. She didn’t have any more time to think about it, she was late to work. After the usual amount of talk at the phone, and some venues visitation, Laura was exhausted. It was almost midnight (a long workday again) when she decided to grab some cookies Perry left in the oven. Laura gave it a generous bite, feeling a strange sensation on her stomach. She felt nauseated instantly. _Gosh, how can I feel this bad about Perry’s cookies? What the hell?_ And then it hit her: _oh my God! Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!!!_

 

Of course. _Two weeks is… today!_ Laura ran away to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test and some cookies (cause maybe the industrialized one would not affect her – she hoped). She knew the right thing to do was to go to her doctor and make a proper test. But she just couldn’t wait until the next day and make an appointment and then wait again for the actual appointment. Pregnancy tests are very effective and she had some of the symptoms (well kind of). She promised herself not to celebrate or complain yet and wait for the official result. But she probably would not do that.

 

Getting in her place, Laura went straight to her bedroom. Danny was sleeping like the dead, her body taking the entire bed ( _that sucks sometimes_ ). She turned around and headed to the guests bathroom where she wouldn’t risk to disturb Danny.

 

The instructions were simple. Pee on the stick and wait 3 minutes. _Dear Lord._ She knew that would be the longest 3 minutes of her life. After peeing on the stick and set her phone alarm clock for 3 minutes, Laura sat over her covered toilet. She thought it would be good to think about something else as a distraction. But what was there to think about? Looking at the white and purple box of the test a memory came to her mind. So Carmilla, the gorgeous girl who works at the drugstore was gay, huh? Who would think? _Me_. And why that mattered? It really didn’t, but she always felt a little happy to find a fellow rainbow buddy. It made her feel a little bit less alone and little bit more ordinary. She was not sure what meant that face Carmilla made at her test. Maybe Carmilla was just surprised to know she was trying the have a family? But she didn’t seem just surprised, but more in shock, like in a bad way. And her smile, after the shock was kind of weird, like she was trying really hard. _Maybe her been nice all of this days…Was that…? Was she just flirting-_

And the sound of a high pitch ringtone just cut off Laura’s thoughts. She took a deep breath and carefully held the stick. The result was there. _Holy shit!_

 

**+++**

 

In the morning, when Danny had already left for work, Laura looked at the positive sign in the stick again. _Ok, not the time to celebrate yet._ She needed to be sure. But she could not wait to call her doctor, so she just went to his office. The clinic was full, but Laura made her best efforts to convince Lucy, the receptionist, to make the test right away. So she got her blood taken just after 10 minutes of her arrival. Laura’s power of persuasion was very effective. It was indeed a very helpful skill at her work. She had managed once to convince a couple to change their wedding day, just to open the date for her clients ( _it was their anniversary date anyway_ ). Nobody ever liked to change dates. They were sacred. But Laura was Laura. And the same way she changed that date, she got a promise to get her results in the same day. Her anxiety self was thankful.

 

Back at her office, she could not hide her anxiety from Perry. So she just went with it.

“What it’s going on with you today?” Perry was looking the details of a wedding flowchart in the mural by her desk.

“Guess what?” Laura dropped her bag on her chair and stood beside Perry. Perry’s eye went wide with the realization.

“But… already, really?”

“Well I took a pharmacy test, it was positive, but-“ before Laura could finish her sentence, Perry was hugging her and jumping at the same time. 

“Oh, Laura, I’m so happy”.

“Wait a minute Perry, I don’t want to celebrate yet” Laura was gently breaking Perry’s hug. She was afraid any celebration could jinx it.

“But Laura, pharmacy tests are really reliable. You _can_ celebrate. And right on time, you will probably deliver in November, it will fit perfectly on our schedule.”

“I don’t want to the get my hopes up, Perry. Pharmacy tests are only 99% accuracy, and I took it at night, which make the odds even lower, I need to be sure before make any decision and even before I tell Danny. I really don’t want to be disappointed. Or disappoint Danny.”

“Okay, honey, I understand. You are right, well 99% it’s not _only_ , but when you’ll know for sure?” Perry gave Laura a comfort pad on her shoulder.

“Today! I went to my doctor’s clinic and took a blood test. Now I just have to wait for their call with the results.”

“So, let’s just hope for the best again, alright?”

 

Laura buried herself in her work. It was not easy. Every time her phone rang, she thought it might be the call from the clinic. Her stomach were getting a rough time at every new call. She felt a little better at the sign of one specific ID, it was Danny.

“Hey babe” Laura answered.

“Hey babe, how are you?” Danny sounded unusually eager.

“Well, I did a ton of calls, but things are doing okay. And I kind of miss my dad” Laura realized how much she neglected her old man lately. She should call him. And maybe it would be to tell a great news. Who knows? “What about you?”

“I’m good. Really good. In fact, there is something important I need to talk to you tonight, so I thought I could bring home some dinner from that restaurant you love, the Mrs. Claus. What do you think?”

“I think that sounds really good, babe.”

“So, can you be home early today? And by early I meant the time you are supposed to be there, around 6?”

“Luckily, I think I can pull that off today. I did an extra effort early, so I’ll be home on time.”

“Great, so that’s a date!”

“Hum, what is it you want to talk to me? Can you give a preview?”

“It’s a surprise. Just be on time.”

“Now you got me worried.”

“So don’t. It’s good news. That’s all I can say.”

“That’s all, really? Come on, Danny!”

“You are so curious, Laura.” Danny chuckled amused. 

“It has something to do with our future…?” 

“Oh, you can stop the fishing expedition, babe. See you later. Love you.”

“Arrghhh, okay!” Laura said with a pout. “I love you too, bye”. Laura dropped her head over her desk and made an indescribable sound. “Can this day get any more dramatic? Oh gosh!”

“What is it now, Laura? Bad news?” Perry wheeled her chair over Laura’s side.

“Danny wants to talk to me.” Laura looked up to Perry. “Something important. But not bad.”

“Well…” Perry started to organizing things over Laura’s desk “Maybe it’s, _you know…_ ”

“What Perry?”

“You know what? It’s nothing. Probably just a promotion at her work, or something.”

“Danny is a P.E. teacher, there is not really anywhere to go up from that.” She noticed a kind of amused smile on Perry’s face. It was not for the cleaning routine. “What were you thinking? You know, the other thing, the ‘you know what, it’s nothing’?” Laura made an impressive accurate imitation of Perry. Her partner frowned a bit before continue.

“Well …since you are in this new moment of your relationship, maybe, I’m just supposing things here, but if she wants to make things official?”

“You mean… do you think she is going to propose?” Laura could feel her heart beating a million miles an hour.

“Maybe. It’s a possibility, I think.” Perry raised her hand as a gestured of precaution.

“She was sounding a bit romantic over the phone. And in an unusually good mood for a usual call from her work. But…”

“What?”

“She is not a fan of the whole ‘names in a piece of paper to make it official’ thing.”

“Yeah, but people change, Laura. And having a child make things a lot more serious. But you are right, you know her so much better than me. I’m just been a hopeless romantic, as always.”

“Maybe you are right, even in the light of your romantic lens.” Laura sighed “Danny have been acting more caring lately. This is not such a crazy idea.”

 

Laura’s mind were going all over the place. There was too much going on in just one day. But with 99% of the certainty of her pregnancy, all she really hoped were to take that 1% out of her way for good. But that phone call was just taking forever.

 

She left her work around 5:30. Perry covered some of her tasks to help Laura be home on time. By the moment she arrived at her apartment (5:50) she could smell the familiar shrimp scampi with linguini from Mrs. Claus. It was her favorite. Danny was setting the table. She gave Laura a warm smile and one of the best hugs Laura felt in her life. She loved how she could hear Danny’s heartbeat when they hugged (it was the whole height difference thing) and she noticed how fast it was beating right then.

 

“How was work?” Danny asked, her face touching the top of Laura’s head.

“You know, stressful brides, lost suppliers, worried grooms, just a normal day.” She took a deep breath to inhale Danny’s perfume. Danny always showered before leave the gym, after her daily training routine. There was something about her gym soap Laura could not explain. It was so good. “So, what it is the ‘important thing’ you want to talk about?”

“You are too eager, Ms. Hollis” Danny said in a playful tone. “Let’s eat first, before the food cool down.”

“Fine.” Laura said with a pout. “This got to be good, Lawrence. I’m already anxious enough for one lifetime.”

“What else is bugging you, babe?”

“You know, just… well let’s eat, I don’t want to wait anymore.”

 

Laura and Danny sat at the table. Danny was really in an unusual happy mood, talking about some of her students and their goofy fails. Laura was making her best to pay attention on Danny’s conversation, because deep down she was worrying about everything: her almost sure pregnancy, Perry’s hint about a proposal, the new assistant she would need to hire, the phone call that never came. And Danny was there, talking about trivial things while she was bursting inside. Luckily Laura was not feeling nausea with the food, which was a good thing, right? Right.

 

They finished their plates, Laura took them to the dishwasher, while Danny poured some wine in two glasses, taking them to the living room. Laura could feel the tension building up in the air. Her hands were sweating, her heart beating in a frenetic rhythm. She took a series of deep breaths in order to calm her down.

 

“So, the important thing…”Danny said handy Laura one glass of wine and making room for her girlfriend to sit by her side on the couch. 

“I’m all ears” Laura took a generous gulp at her wine.

“Remember when I said about the potential sponsors at the L.A. Marathon?”

“Of course!” Laura was feeling a little less anxious with the conversation route.

“I got two Laura, two!”

“What? Two what? Sponsors?” Laura almost spit out her wine.

“Yes, Laura! Can you believe it?” Danny’s eyes were sparkling like diamonds.

“Oh, Babe that’s huge!” Laura placed her glass over the coffee table and gave a tight hug on her girlfriend. Danny hugged her back even more tightly.

“Yeah! Nike and Gatorade want to sign with me. The contract will be for 2 years, can you believe? Two years!” The excitement in Danny’s voice was contagious. Laura released Danny and reached for her wine again.

“I told you, Danny! You are going to be an athlete rock star!” Laura was relieved. It was good news, after all.

“Yeah, yes Laura, thank you. You always have my back. And now I will finally be able to give you everything you want.”

“The only thing I want now is to start our family, talking about it-” Laura suddenly was very aware of what she was doing. She frozen in place, the glass of wine still in her hand, halfway through her mouth. _Oh no, I shouldn’t. Oh, crap, I’m such an idiotic! I’m drinking alcohol. Fuck!_

“Oh, Laura, babe I’m so sorry…” Danny’s face suddenly became tense. “We are going to have to postpone that.”

“What?” Laura’s heart sank. The floor seems to be vanished from under her.

“I can’t focus on a baby now, Laura. I know you have all planned out, and we were even choosing a donor, and names, but… I need to start an intense training now. I have to make it to the Olympics trials. Rio 2016 will happen in less than a year and a half, I really have to train hard.”

“No. Danny… no!” Laura was furious. With herself. With Danny. But mostly, Danny.

“Laura, listen. This contract… There is a condition, I will only keep this sponsors if I get into the USA track team. I only have four months to train for it. I won’t be able to be there for you when you’ll need me. And I know how stressful and demanding a pregnancy can be. And by the time the baby will be born, if everything work out, I will be in the most intense training program for the Olympics.” 

“I get that Danny. This is your dream. But this baby, our family is my dream too.” Laura’s voice was skipping bits. “And I can’t wait for two years.” Of course she could not. She was 99% pregnant. No, 99% sure she was pregnant. That was a lot.

“Why not? You’re not that old Laura. Of course we can wait a couple of years, you are exaggerating”.

“Oh, am I exaggerating, Danny, really? You’re unbelievable.”

“It’s so crazy to wait two years to have a kid? How is that?”

“That is the thing, huh? You always want to wait. You always want to put things off. I’m tired of it”.

“What are you even talking about?”

“I’m talking about us Danny. We know each other for six years now. We have been dating for five fucking years and you always have things your way. We could not live together cause ‘no, Laura, I can’t bear the thought of my girlfriend paying things for me, it will hurt my pride too much’, and I ‘ok Danny we will do it your way’. We had chosen the best apartment according to you, the safest car, the right bed, even the best sex position.”

“Laura, come on! Why are you-“

“And then when we finally decided to start a family, when I’m stable enough at my work to find an opportune moment, that maybe I’ll never have again, you say to me you are not capable to be a parent and an athlete at the same time?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for be cautious. Things are not simple like that Laura, you are been unfair. Just because you have your career and your life figure out it doesn’t mean the same thing is true for me.” Danny stepped out of Laura’s side and started to pacing around the room.

“I’m such an idiotic… I thought… I thought you were going to propose to me. How could I be so naïve?”

“Propose?” Danny’s stood on place. Arms crossed over her chest. “Laura you know how I feel about marriage.” 

“Yeah, yeah, ‘they are just a social contract to force people into an archaic and patriarchal institution’ you know what? I do want to get married!” Laura stood up and faced Danny. “I think it’s romantic and it means people love each other so much they want to make it official. But, yeah, I think that is too much for you, huh?”

“I don’t need a piece of paper to prove my love for you Laura. That’s the whole principle of it. It was always how I felt about it, you knew that.”

“I was really too stupid to make a commitment with someone so stubborn.”

“You thought I would change my mind and now you are disappointed?”

“I thought you would see how silly you were been.”

“No, Laura. I didn’t change my mind. I never will. I don’t break my principles.”

“And I don’t believe this is happening.” Laura’s phone rang. It was the Doctor Who theme song. Laura use it as the ringtone of her doctor’s clinic, cause the pun was funny somehow. So, it was from the clinic. _Worst timing ever._ Laura gave her back to Danny, going in the direction of her phone over the kitchen counter. The kitchen was open, attached at the back of the living room.

“You are not seriously going to answered that now?” Danny questioned in rage. Laura ignored her and dragged the green button on her phone.

“Hello” Laura tried to hide the nervous tone of her voice.

“Hello, it’s this Ms. Hollis? Laura Hollis?” Asked the female voice on the line.

“Yes, it’s me.” Laura finally adjusted her voice in a more gentle tone.

“I’m Lucy from Dr. Collins Clinic. I have the result from your test.”

“Okay, so how it go?”

The doctor’s secretary talked about the procedure, giving numbers and acronyms (something about HCG levels) but Laura could not really follow it through. There was only one thing she wanted to know. Was she pregnant or not?

“So, what that means?” Laura turned herself in Danny’s direction, resting her back against the counter.

“Well, it means, Ms. Hollis, that you are in fact pregnant. Congratulations!” Laura felt her fingers numb. Her eyes out of focus.

“Thank you” she replied mechanic to the woman, removing the phone from her ear.

So. No more doubts. No more ‘holding celebrations’. All she ever wanted. All she ever dreamed. But not like she have ever imagined. Danny was looking at her with hurtful eyes.

“What was that?” Danny was closer now, Laura barely noticed her approaching.

“Nothing important” she responded feeling her heart sank again.

“Laura, what is the deal with you? Let’s… let’s go to bed. It’s late, we are tired.”

“No, Danny…” Laura closed her eyes and fought back the tears threatening to escape.

“We need a break, we need to cool our heads, we can talk about this tomorrow, it will be better.” Danny touched Laura’s right shoulder.

“There is no tomorrow Danny.”

“What are talking about Laura?”

“I’m done. We are done.” Laura opened her eyes, looking sadly into Danny’s.

“Laura, just… do you realize what you are saying?” Danny’s words was a plead. “You want to break up with me over this?”

“Take it whatever the way you want Danny. I can’t, I just can’t do it with you anymore. I’m tired.”

“Yes, we are both tired, that’s why we need to go to bed, Laura.”

Laura withdrew from Danny’s touch, walking into their bedroom. Danny felt the tension down a bit. But Laura didn’t go for the bed. She went straight to her closet and grabbed a suitcase throwing it over the bed then started to fill it with some of her clothes.

“You cannot be serious” Danny said at the sight of Laura action.

“I am. Very serious”.

“Laura, come on, don’t do this” Danny grabbed Laura’s arm.

“Let me go Danny.” Laura froze, furious. Danny loosed her grip, freeing Laura’s arm.

“Ok. But you will see I’m right. Tomorrow you are going to feel really shitty at this stunt.” Danny’s voice was cracking.

“You think you know so much about me, huh Danny? You don’t. You really don’t.” Laura went to the bathroom, grabbing her toothbrush and other personal hygiene items. Danny kept following her.

“I can’t believe. When things are finally working for me, you decided to bail. You are very mature, Laura.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I’m not bailing on you, I’m asking for time.” Laura turned to leave the bathroom, hands full with her things.

“I can’t give you that time, Danny. I gave you too much.” After the pause, Laura was back to the bedroom again, she tossed the hygiene things inside her bag.

“You are only looking this at your perspective.”

“We are not going to start this again.” She faced Danny one more time. “This is just me and you needing different things.”

“All of this because I don’t want to have a baby?” Laura closed her eyes, feeling her heart sinking even more, like it was at the bottom of a well, helpless and alone.

“And there you are.” She opened them again, giving a sad smile to Danny. “You really don’t want to have a baby with me.”

“You’re getting this wrong Laura.” Danny’s face was deep red, her eyes bloodshot, it seems like she was holding her tears with all of her strength. “I don’t want to have a baby with you _**now**_. You know that.”

“No Danny, I don’t know. If you had been honest with me before, we would have avoided all of this.” Laura’s voice was the one cracking now. Danny lower herself a bit, trying to reach Laura’s eyes at the same level.

“I… I’m scared. That’s all. It’s normal, everybody is scared of the unknown, Laura.”

“But they do it anyway.”

“Laura, just, please.” Danny held Laura’s hands. Laura didn’t move this time.

“What if you would get no sponsor? What if nothing had changed and we were about to make the procedure right now? Like today? Would you still be willing to go through with it? Into the journey of parenthood? With me?” There was a pitchy of hope in Laura’s voice. It was it, she thought. 

“I probably would.” _Probably. Just probably._

“That’s what I thought.” Laura escaped from Danny’s touch, reaching for her bag, zipping it and throwing over her shoulder. Danny stood up keeping a larger distance now. Laura took her phone from over the kitchen counter and grabbed her purse left on the stool.

“Laura…”

“I need to leave.”

“Where are going?” Laura hand’s was over the doorknob. She kept her eyes staring at her hand.

“To Perry’s. I’ll grab the rest of my things until the end of the week.”

“Laura, please, think this through, don’t do this.” Laura gave a last look to Danny’s before leave.

“Unlike you, I have made my mind, Danny. Please, respect my wishes.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura would do anything to be able to drink, but she was already feeling guilty for the sips she drank unintentionally. She should talk it with her doctor. Poor baby, they didn’t deserve this. Baby. Laura could not believe yet. She had a baby living inside her. She had literary a tiny human been growing inside of her. It was like magic. No, like science. No, it was science. Science made her pregnant. Science, some guy DNA material and a couple of thousands of dollars.

 

Perry was a bit startled at Laura’s presence at her doorstep at 8 of the night. Laura told Perry briefly about her fight with Danny, reveling the phone call and Danny’s uncertainty in having a child. Laura cried the whole time. Perry tried to drawn to Laura a scenario of optimistic possibilities, all involving Danny’s repentance. Laura didn’t argue with Perry. She was tired of that, and didn’t want to stress her tiny human even more. So she went to Perry’s guest bedroom and tried to surrender herself to the sleep. She didn’t know if she had slept at all when she saw the sunlight filling the room.

 

A few moments later, she felt the smell of pancakes, so she dragged herself from the bed to the kitchen. As soon as the smell of bacon hit her, her stomach twisted and Laura had to run to the bathroom. She saw part of her dinner been throwing into the toilet. _Morning sickness just sucks._ Perry went right after her, spatula in hand.

 

“Are you okay, Laura?”

“It’s the bacon, Perry, I can’t stand the smell.”

“I’m so sorry, honey. Do you want me to prepare something else for you to eat? You have to eat something, you know, you are eating for two now.”

“I think I can have the pancakes. But I don’t think I can go to the kitchen again.”

“Go to your room, I’ll fix some pancakes, no bacon, for you.”

“Thank you, Perr.”

“You’re very welcome, sweetie.”

Perry was definitively a kitchen ninja, Laura thought. Her pancakes were amazing, and the smell of the bacon was gone. But a small head ache was starting to grow. Perry had left for working, insisting for Laura to take the day off. Laura was looking for something for her head ache, but Perry only had painkillers not recommended to women expecting. So Laura drove her red Mazda into the familiar Baron Pharmacy. She had researched on her phone what could be safe for her. Inside the store, the medicine-alike smell made her cringe a bit but nothing too serious. She grabbed Tylenol for her and some Aspirin for Perry’s cabinet, because you never know. She headed to the cash register line, expecting to see the blond girl at the register (she was there most of the mornings) but she saw Carmilla instead. Carmilla was… _Oh._ The bouncing head of a baby caught Laura’s attention. His big blue eyes intensely staring at her. Big bright eyes like the donor. Like Danny’s. And a pain stroked her like lightning, ripping her heart in two. She was on her own now. And she could not stand this. The pain was too much.

The next thing she knew, she was inside her car, hearing a knock on her window.

 

“You forget this” it was Carmilla out there showing Laura her basket with the medication she didn’t even remember she had left behind. Laura scrolled down her window.

“You didn’t have to” her voice sounded weak.

“Of course I had to” Laura reached for the basket and held it on her lap.

“I didn’t intend to buy the basket too.” She said trying to sound funny.

“You can have it, we have a ton of those” Carmilla said trying to be funny too.

“Let me pay for the pills, at least” Laura was reaching for her wallet and Carmilla touched her hands at the movement.

“No. It’s my pay back for the cookies. And I still owe you.”

Laura looked at Carmilla’s hands over her own. Tears came back in her eyes. _No, Laura, girl the hell up!_

“Hey…” Carmilla hold one of the Laura’s hands and gave it a squeeze. “May I…?” Carmilla pointed to the passenger seat with her other hand. Laura gave her a nod, so Carmilla released Laura’s hand and turned around the car, opening the door and sitting by Laura’s side. Laura’s hands were now covering her face, a stream of tears rolling down her arms. _So much for my lame braveness._ Carmilla placed her hand over Laura’s shoulder patting lightly. Laura felt a warm comfort at Carmilla’s gesture. Her heart a little less heavy.

 

After a few minutes of raw crying, Laura let her hands rest back on her lap. Carmilla was already holding a tissue she had found at her glove compartment. Laura took the tissue and dried her tears carefully. _Why this girl is always so nice to me?_

 

“Is everything okay?” Carmilla asked.

“No. There is nothing okay”. Laura voice was almost a whisper.

“Well, you can talk to me. If you want to.”

“I don’t even know where to begin.”

“I have all the time in the world, Cupcake”.

“Not here” Laura said after a deep breath. 

“I think I know the right place for this conversation. If you want to, I can drive us there”. Carmilla offered like it was no big deal.

“That would be very nice of you”.

“So, let’s go”. Carmilla grabbed Laura’s free hand and gave it another sympathetic squeeze before leave her sit to take Laura’s place. Laura moved herself to the passenger’s side. She had no idea why she had had agreed with that. But it didn’t matter anyway. For some reason, she was not feeling so alone anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would take so much more time, but luckly I got some this week. I think I'm getting the hang of it. Please, if I’m making too much big typos write me down. Thanks!


	3. Off The Shore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura vents to Carmilla. It's time for a final decision.  
> Kirsch finally talks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did some corrections and some more editing in the first 2 chapters, just FYI.

**Chapter 3 – Off The Shore**

 

The ride in Laura’s car was silent. Carmilla was driving for more than 30 minutes. Laura started to look at her surroundings more carefully. _“Where the hell are we going?”_ Noticing the other girl’s tension, Carmilla broke the silence.

“It’s kind of far, but we are almost there.” Laura turned to look at Carmilla, who still had her eyes on the road. “It will worth it, you’ll see.”

Laura didn’t say anything in return. She was a bit scared of her last minute decision ( _another classic Hollis_ ) trusting in an almost stranger person just because she was nice and made her feel better. What if Carmilla was some sort of gorgeous serial killer? Lots of serial killers are good looking. And the landscape of forests around them only made it all worse. She was sure if Carmilla wouldn’t kill her, her father may would, just because of Laura’s stupidity.

 

They finally reached the final destination. Carmilla parked in a larger lot, closer to other cars, around a few people passing by. _“Okay, not a creepy abandoned place, I think I’ll be OK.”_ Laura thought to herself. As Carmilla opened the door to leave the car, Laura mirrored her and left too.

“That’s where we are going” Carmilla said pointing ahead to a big lake. Laura took a better look at her surroundings and noticed some trailers, tents and all kinds of boats. That was some kind of camping site. 

Following Carmilla lead, she went down a trail to the lakeshore. After a few moments they were over a long but narrow pier, with a long line of ducks paddleboats. Carmilla stopped in front of the last one on the row and gesture for Laura to follow her. In one fast movement, Carmilla was inside of the washed-out yellow duck. She turned to Laura, supporting her right foot over the paddleboat edge and offering her hands to help Laura inside. Laura hesitated for a while.

“Come on, Cupcake, you’ll be alright. Just give your hand to me” Carmilla was a bit amused at Laura’s tension.

“If you knew me better you’d know I’m the clumsiest person in the world.”

“This is not science rocket, give me your hand I’ll get you” Carmilla gesture for Laura again, waving with her right hand.

Laura took a deep breath and slowly approached to Carmilla. When her hand touched Carmilla’s, the other girl gave it a firm grip.

“Now, move your leg to the edge. I got you.” When Laura’s foot stepped firmly over the paddleboat edge, Carmilla’s left hand grabbed Laura’s waist, pulling Laura’s whole body by her side. Laura closed her eyes, with the certainty she would be inside of the lake in next second. When she realized, after a few moments, she was indeed dried, she opened her eyes and met with a playful smirk in Carmilla’s face right in front of her. “I told I got you”.

“Thanks” Laura said still lost in Carmilla’s eyes. Camilla noticed how beautiful Laura’s eyes were in the daylight. They had a variety of shades of honey, brown and yellow. But they also had this shadow of sadness. She loosened her grip on Laura’s, releasing her and taking a seat in one of the boat’s chair. Laura sat on the other one, and Carmilla untied the boat from the pier, cycling on her pedals and moving them forward. Laura started to pedal too.

Slowly their navigated off the shore, in the direction of the lake’s center. The day was beautiful. There were some white candy cotton clouds and the sky was deep blue. The morning breeze was still blowing. Laura crossed her arms over her chest, feeling the cool air make her to shiver a bit. Goose bumps were starting to form on her skin.

“I should have thought about it” Carmilla took her work shirt off and offered to Laura. ”Here, you can have it, I’m not cold”, It was a white polo with light green details and the red and small Baron Pharmacy logo. Carmilla was wearing a white tank top underneath it.

“You shouldn’t Carmilla, I’m not that bad”

“Really? Cause the boat it’s kind of bouncing with your shivers.”

Laura was trying to be polite declining the shirt, but then she realized (again, of course) this was not just about her. There was someone who could be feeling cold too (was that even possible? Well, you never know) so she took Carmilla’s shirt and put it on. It smelled like lavender and something else she could not name it.

“Thanks” she said feeling so much better. Carmilla gave her a nod.

After the shirt talk, they remained in silence, pedaling around the calm waves of the big lake. Carmilla didn’t want to pressure Laura into talk about her problems, she was afraid to bring the subject and ruin the moment, even though they were over that for that matter. So, to encourage Laura’s she begun to talk about herself. After all, they barely knew each other anyway.

“When I was a child my parents used to bring me here every weekend.” there was a nostalgic tone in Carmilla’s voice “the paddleboat were my favorite, my dad used to paddle with me. We would circle the whole lake at least once. Sometimes we took two boats and race until the other side.”

“Yeah, this is nice” Laura almost formed a smile on her face. “There was so much going on in the last week… no in the last month, that this quietness is so nice... it's exactly what I need now.

“I’m glad you like it.” Carmilla was still having a hard time to believe what she was doing right there in that moment. Pedaling the duck with Laura in the Anglerfish Lake. It was surreal.

“Yes, I do. This really seems to be a nice place to spend time with your family.” Laura heart was heavy again. The word family was poking in her open wounds.

Carmilla noticed Laura sad expression was back. Maybe she should help Laura to open up in a more direct way. 

“Your pregnancy test” Carmilla said cautiously watching Laura’s reaction to every word “it was a negative” Carmilla’s tone were more an affirmation than a question. Laura was expressionless and Carmilla regretted her choice of words ( _smooth, Karnstein_ ). “I mean, I-”

“No, it was not negative” Laura’s eyes were lost somewhere in the water. Her legs were still. Carmilla stooped too. 

“So you are pregnant.” She paused for a bit. “But I thought that was what you wanted, unless…” Carmilla didn’t know what more to say without sound like a moron.

“That is what I wanted. What I still want. The problem…the problem is that I’m really stupid” Laura tried to clean the tears falling with her hands.

“How it’s stupid someone who wants to have children?” Carmilla’s tone was gentle. It made Laura tension to break a little.

“When this person overestimates people.” Laura cleared her throat to continue. “The bottom line is simple. My girlfriend wasn’t ready to have kids. She was not too sincere with me and I didn’t notice the signs.” She sighed “Now, I’m on my own.” 

“Ok, let me see if I get this right. Did your girlfriend break up with you because of the pregnancy? That’s fucked up” Carmilla made an apology face, but Laura didn’t mind the swearing. “Pardon my French”.

“No, it’s more complicated than that. I was the one who broke up. She doesn’t know I’m pregnant.” Carmilla made a confused face, not sure if she should make another question again. Laura decided to explain further. 

“Danny… my girlfriend, she was trying to be a professional athlete for a while. She just got a deal with some sponsors, so she wanted to postpone the pregnancy. But it was late, cause I wanted to make a surprise for her. I even choose the donor she thought was better, you know, I wanted to make her happy about it. Happy about our kid, but…” Laura’s eyes were overflowed by the tears again. Carmilla gave a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.

“How long you were together?”

“Five years.” Laura’s voice was weak.

“That’s a long time.”

“Yeah, it is. But at the same time it’s not. We were living together for only a year. Maybe she was right, I should have waited more. She was barely out of college and I’m 4 years older than her. Maybe she was right.” Laura finally looked at Carmilla again. “What do you think?”

“Well, I have never been in a long term relationship like this, I’m afraid I can’t give you a very good perspective on things but...” Carmilla hold back on the boat steering wheel “Were you happy?”

That was a good question, Laura thought. How long ago did she question herself about it? She couldn’t remember.

“I can tell you that it was the most happy I have ever been. I loved Danny. Well, I still do.” Her eyes were back on the waves. “But I felt it was not really enough. And at the same time, I thought nobody can have everything anyway.” She shrugged.

“That’s why you wanted to have a baby?” Laura was surprised by Carmilla’s question. She could not know how the almost stranger, gorgeous and mysterious girl from the drugstore could reach places even herself were not aware of. And maybe she was right. Laura had a lot of reasons, but none of them seem enough. Maybe she was trying to fill a hole she didn’t even know was there.

“The reasons I gave to her… and to myself, were the same. My career was finally on a good place. I was getting old. I always wanted to be a parent. But maybe that was the case, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“I wanted to have this baby now because something was missing? But the problem now is that… I’m missing Danny.” She shook her head. “I was right, nobody can have everything.” Unconsciously Laura patted her own belly.

“Are you going to tell her?” Carmilla noticed Laura’s hands over her belly. She smiled with the gesture.

“I don’t know.” 

“You don’t want her with you only for the obligation” Carmilla concluded.

“Yes! Thank you. You understand.” Laura shook her head “I tried to explain this to Perry. She thinks I should definitely tell Danny. I know if I tell Danny she will be by my side, she will raise the kid with me. But if something goes wrong with her trials, or if she would give up on her sponsors, she would blame me and our kid for her failed career. And I’m afraid of all of this.”

They fell to another moment of silence. Carmilla begun to pedal again, leading them to finish the lap on the lake. Laura was deep in her thoughts. Still not sure about her decision.

“But what if…” Laura grabbed Carmilla arm, making the other girl to stop again. “I’m been unfair with Danny? Not giving her the chance to know?”

“Laura. I really don’t know what to say. This is a very delicate decision, you should follow your heart.” Laura retrieved her hand from Carmilla. She really hoped Carmilla could give her a magic and easy answer.

“If were you…” Laura gave Carmilla a pleading look “would you want to know?”

“If I were Danny” Carmilla looked serious to Laura “…I’d want to know.” Laura’s face turned to a worried smile. Carmilla continued “because I would love to raise a kid with someone like you.” Laura felt something warm inside of her. But not for long. The reality was still the same.

“I’m not sure what to do.” She sighted. Carmilla gave her a sympathetic smile. “What I know is that I have to do what is best for my tiny human here.” Laura patted her belly again, more conscious this time. “Cause it is just the two of us now.”

Carmilla could feel a heavy weight over her own heart. How could this girl turn her into a puddle of feelings?

“You’re not totally alone.” Carmilla reached for her hand. “You have your friend Perry, and… I know we barely know each other, but I’m your friend too. You are not alone.”

“What do you understand about pregnancies? Or babies?”

“I must say I don’t know much”. Carmilla shrugged. “But there is nothing you can’t google about”.

“Yeah, that’s very wise, google ‘how to raise a child’” She was smiling for the first time in that day. Carmilla felt herself rise with the victory. “I feel really sorry for your future children.”

“Nah” Carmilla slapped the air with her free hand “They will be fine. I’m sure.” Her hands were back to the wheel, her feet were cycling again. Soon they would be on solid ground together.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla drove Laura to Perry’s apartment. Laura insisted in call Carmilla a cab, but Carmilla assured her that her place was really close, like a 15 minutes walk (it really was). Laura only remembered about Carmilla’s shirt when she was about to shower. So, she decided to wash it before return it to Carmilla (it was the polite thing to do). She texted Carmilla for first the time that evening, they traded numbers after the ride back. Laura asked if Carmilla would need the shirt for her next shift or something. Carmilla said Laura should not worry, she had a tone of them.  
Laura was feeling a little better. The ride Carmilla took them really helped her to calm her nerves. She promised herself to not stress so much, in order to give her baby a more pleasant stay. She would always do what’s best for her tiny human.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was still processing her talk with Laura. The Cupcake girl was full of surprises, that’s the only thing she knew for sure. After the pregnancy test debacle, Carmilla did everything in her power to forget Laura. She had a girlfriend and a baby on the way. Well, not anymore. But Laura was not an ordinary single gal flirting back to Carmilla. Things were way more complicated. Any sane person would step back from Laura, romantically speaking. She was not in condition to reciprocate to anything in that matter. There were so much more important things in her life. Carmilla knew that and would totally respect that. But at the same time, she was more draw to Laura than ever. Her clumsiness on the boat. The scary face she made when Carmilla drove her to the woods. The obvious love for her unborn child. And the way she still cared about her ex-girlfriend (or maybe not so ex yet). Carmilla could not step back.

 

She was slowly getting even closer to Laura. Day after day, text after text. There was something about Laura. She knew since day one. And Carmilla noticed how the girl was also getting closer to her. She didn’t look at Carmilla like an ordinary person. Sure, she was like a sunshine to all people around her. But Carmilla felt she got something especial from Laura. Maybe it was just her imagination. She hadn’t see Laura around other known people, so she could be totally wrong. She was sure of one thing: she didn’t plan to back off. Not anymore.

 

Things on The Baron was slow. It was an unusual Thursday night. Kirsch was almost sleeping on the prescription counter, so Carmilla decided to bug him a little.

“Beefcake, you are drooling on the old people vitamins” Carmilla crossed from her station and stoop up over Kirsch’s counter. Her friend opened his eyes confused, trying to clean the nonexistent saliva.

“That’s not cool, Carmsexy!”  
“Yes it is. You fall every time.” Carmilla gave him her classic smirk. “And drop that stupid nickname.”

“Someday I’ll be drooling for real and the joke will be on you.” 

“Think again about what you just said, pal.” Kirsch made a confused and shook his head.

“It’s the Peter and the Wolf thing, Carmilla.” He made a sound of mock. “I thought you’d know better, since you’re the smart one who finishes college and stuff.”

“Never mind, Groot” Carmilla pated his shoulder in a condescending way.

“So, what is up with you lately? Any hot date?” Kirsch gave a suspicious playful smile to Carmilla.

“The only thing hot right now is my stupid fridge. I think I have to buy a new one, that thing is older than me.”

“What about that little nerd hottie?” Kirsch opened a goof smile to Carmilla, who kept a straight face. “You know who I am talking about, golden hair, always gives you the googly eyes. And she is hot.”

“You already said that” Carmilla rolled her eyes and looked around the store to see if there was any new costumer. All the same.

“Betty told me you went after her on the parking lot the other day.” Carmilla squinted her eyes to Kirsch. _Fucking noisy Betty._

“She forgot her purchase, I was just doing my job.” She shrugged. Every stupid thing turns into a rumor these days. People don’t have anything else better to do?

“That’s not what I heard.”

A sound came from Carmilla’s phone. It was some text message. 

“Well, not my fault if people are too dumb to say something right.” Carmilla grabbed her phone, it was a message from Laura.

 **Laura (12:35a.m.):** Tell me your shift in bored and say something to help me to sleep.

“It’s her, isn’t she?” Kirsch’s goofy smile was back. “Your face totally rats you out, Carmilla.” 

“Fuck off, Kirsch” Carmilla gave Kirsch the finger and walked back to the register. She texted Laura back.

 **Carmilla (12:36a.m.):** costumer story time, Cupcake?

 **Laura (12:36a.m.):** yeah, something like that :)

Carmilla had a lot of those stories. She was sure she could write an entire new series about them. The name of this one would be _Horny teenagers and hypochondriac elderly._ She knew a good and short one to tell Laura.

 **Carmilla (12:39a.m.):** One day there was a teenager so horny buying condoms he literally couldn’t keep it in his pants.

 **Laura (12:41.m.):** ew Carmilla DX

 **Laura (12:41.m.):** You are going to give me nightmares. It’s the opposite of my goal here.

Carmilla laughed with herself. She could do this all night with Laura.

 **Carmilla (12:42a.m.):** Sorry, but all of my stories are starring by creepy people.

 **Laura (12:43.m.):** I’m sure there is something more relaxing or something.

Carmilla thought again. Yes, she did have some of most _relaxing_ stories Laura could ever know. But unfortunately that would be totally inappropriate (more than the teenage horny one). Even though Carmilla was naturally a very shameless person, she was not sure if she could show this side of her to Laura yet. But she would find a halfway.

 

**+++**

 

 **Carmilla (12:45a.m.):** Okay, you asked for that, Cupcake…

 **Carmilla (12:47a.m.):** it was a very lazy night, this tall blonde enters the store, she goes to the prescription counter, Kirsch (the tall dude, not the corpse who owns the store) was there to help her…

 **Carmilla (12:49a.m.):** I could not see much, but the woman had an amazing body, Kirsch was drooling all over her, like a happy puppy…

 **Carmilla (12:50a.m.):** she doesn’t give a damn about him, next thing I know she is coming in my direction and I can see her face clearly…

 **Carmilla (12:50a.m.):** she looks like the twin sister of Ruby Rose, but blond…

 **Carmilla (12:50a.m.):** she gives me this incredibly sexy smile…

 **Carmilla (12:51a.m.):** I could feel my ovaries exploding… what a gorgeous woman

 **Laura (12:55a.m.):** and…???

 **Laura (12:55a.m.):** you are killing me here Carmilla

 **Carmilla (12:56a.m.):** Sorry, attending a costumer

 **Carmilla (12:56a.m.):** So like I was saying… damn it, another costumer is coming

 **Carmilla (12:56a.m.):** hold there, cupcake

 **Laura (12:57a.m.):** I’m not going anywhere really =(

 **Carmilla (01:08a.m.):** I’m back

 **Laura (01:08a.m.):** =D

 **Carmilla (01:08a.m.):** I swear someday I’ll kill one of these dimwits… where was I?

 **Laura (01:09a.m.):** gorgeous woman, your ovaries was exploding

 **Carmilla (01:09a.m.):** right… while I was processing her receipt the woman takes a business card from her purse and writes down something on it then gives it to me

 **Carmilla (01:10a.m.):** it was her apartment address in the card she said she was an artist – her voice was really really sexy

 **Laura (01:10a.m.):** =O

 **Carmilla (01:11a.m.):** and she wanted to make a portrait of me in her apartment

 **Carmilla (01:11a.m.):** her exactly words: I want to paint you all night

 **Carmilla (01:12a.m.):** I probably made a stupid face, I’m not sure

 **Laura (01:12a.m.):** I’m dead here

 **Carmilla (01:13a.m.):** did I help you to get sleepy?

 **Laura (01:13a.m.):** of course not :/

 **Laura (01:13a.m.):** if anything you made me even more awake and something else...

 **Carmilla (01:14a.m.):** something else what cupcake?

 **Laura (01:14a.m.):** anxious, are not going to finish the story?

 **Carmilla (01:15a.m.):** that’s the whole story… right, and then she left the store, the end.

 **Laura (01:15a.m.):** ???

 **Carmilla (01:15a.m.):** ?????

 **Laura (01:16a.m.):** what did you do? Did you call her? Did she paint you ‘all night’?

 **Carmilla (01:16a.m.):** no, didn’t call her

 **Carmilla (01:17a.m.):** I don’t date costumers, it’s my own policy

 **Laura (01:17a.m.):** really? Why? Like never?

 **Carmilla (01:18a.m.):** not never but… all she wanted was a one night stand

 **Carmilla (01:18a.m.):** I have nothing against one night stands, believe me

 **Carmilla (01:19a.m.):** but not with costumers. They know where I work… If things go south… well you know

 **Laura (01:20a.m.):** something like that already happened to you before?

 **Carmilla (01:20a.m.):** yes

 **Laura (01:20a.m.):** that sucks

 **Carmilla (01:21a.m.):** you have no idea

 **Laura (01:21a.m.):** well, I think I’m ready to sleep. Thanks for the story, Carm.

 **Carmilla (01:22a.m.):** you are very welcome, Laura

 **Laura (01:22a.m.):** have a nice night :X

 **Carmilla (01:23a.m.):** you too cupcake, sweet dreams.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was weighing her options. In one hand, she wanted to keep things to the way they were. Danny would not know about her pregnancy, and Laura would be a single parent, Danny would fulfill her career dream. But someday in the future, Danny could found out about it and be furious with Laura. Or maybe, not even care.

 

On the other hand, she thought she should tell Danny now, giving her the chance to stand by her kid. Well, their kid. But that could result in an unhappy future for both of them. Danny could blame Laura and the kid for her failed career. Or she could reconsider her views and be an awesome parent. The resolution was not that simple, though. There were other things to add to this equation.

 

What Carmilla said to Laura, about her been happy with Danny brought another thread of things to considerate. She loved Danny. It was not enough. She felt she was always trying to meet Danny expectations. She let her take control to a lot of the things in their life together, but not everything. Danny has always been supportive of her carrier. Even with her crazy hours.

 

Their sex life was another sensitive subjective. She couldn’t even start to think about it, it was a whole thing that needed to be discussed, with a lot of care. But was not something to be a deal breaker, right? So, what was she supposed to do?

 

After her breakdown on the drugstore, Laura concentrated herself on her work. The morning sickness was getting her every day. Luckily, Perry was there, like a mother of heaven and made Laura plain pancakes every morning. Nothing else seems to settle in her stomach anyway. But even with the good care of Perry, Laura eventually puked on her office hours.

 

She got a lot of calls from Danny, but ignored all of them. Laura was not sure what to say yet. She also traded some texts with Carmilla. Nothing serious, they basically talked about the quirkiness of some their clients and customers. It was nice to take a time off of her problems with Carmilla, and even make fun of them. With the difference of their schedules, they basically talked in different shifts, reading the other comments a lot later on (except for that lazy Thursday). When Laura’s phone got a message on Friday night, she thought it might be Carmilla starting her shift texts. But it was Danny instead, texting her for the first time since the break up.

 **Danny Bear (11:15p.m.):** Laura, please, talk to me.

Laura was almost leaving for home. She was tired of ignoring Danny. But still not sure what to say to her.

 **Laura (11:20p.m.):** Meet me in the Lustig Diner in 10.

 **Danny Bear (11:21p.m.):** I’ll be there in 5.

Laura didn’t know what would happen. With her. With Danny. With the baby. But keeping the silent treatment was no fair.

 

**+++**

 

The Lusting Diner was around the corner of the I Do Wedding Planning. Laura was there first. Danny came after 10 minutes, on foot. Laura was sitting in a booth corner, menu in hands. Danny stood still in front of Laura, before Laura took her eyes from the menu to see her. Danny had bags under her eyes, clearly she hadn’t slept well in the last days. Laura was not too much different. The only thing apart was that her makeup disguised her tiredness. Danny sat on the seat across from Laura.

“Hi.” Danny said with a shy smile.

“Hi.” Laura replied, her face expressionless.

“So-“

“Hi, welcome to the Lustig Diner! Are you ready to order?” the waitress looked expectant at the two women. Danny almost dismissed the girl before Laura made her order.

“I want the combo number 2, with extra maple syrup.” Laura gave the menu to the waitress.

“Alright, something to drink?”

“Water.” Laura kept her eyes on Danny the whole time. Danny was a bit annoyed with the situation.

“Ok. What about you?” The waitress turned to Danny.

“Just a coke.”

“Alright! I’ll bring your beverages right away!” the animated waitress was gone. Laura and Danny remained in silence, their eyes fixed on each other. 

The waitress was back really fast, like she said, with the beverages. Just after she was out of their space, Laura and Danny finally begun to talk.

“Is everything okay on your work?” Asked Danny first.

“Yeah. What about you?” Returned Laura, still holding the same blank expression.

“The same. But not for too long. I’ll be out in 4 months, anyway.” Danny shrugged.

“I hope you are happy”. Laura took a sip from her water.

“I’m not.” Danny shrugged again. “Cause I miss you.” Laura sighed. Her internal battle was back. Tell or not to tell? What is best for the baby?

“I missed you too” Laura decided to be sincere, at least.

“I’m sorry, Laura. I said some stupid things to you. You didn’t deserve.” Danny’s seems really sincere to Laura. This was a good thing, Laura thought. Maybe she should tell.

“I said some horrible things too.” Laura’s poker face broke into a genuine look of concern.

“We both are very stubborn” Danny let out a sad chuckled. “Maybe that’s why we are together for so long. We are very alike.”

Laura was not entire sure if that was true. Sure, they were very stubborn, but that didn’t make them more closely. Or alike.

“Here they are” the waitress was back with Laura’s pancakes and the extra syrup. “Have a nice meal!”

Laura was starving, she didn’t waste any time and dug her food right away. She had spent the entire day on cupcakes and hot chocolate. She knew her diet needed to change, for the sake of her tiny human.

“I need to apologize for something” Danny said. She took a sip of her soda before continued. She was clearly nervous. “I was not totally honest with you, Laura.” Laura felt a weird tug on her stomach. Was she about to be sick again?

“What are talking about?”

“The baby thing.” Danny hesitated again. “I should have been honest with you, I know…”

“Honest about what, exactly?” Questioned Laura after a while waiting for Danny to formulate her sentence.

“I could not wait for 2 years.” She shrugged. “I was gaining time. Time with you.”

“Care to explain?” Laura said quietly. _Do not freak out_. Suddenly she lost her appetite.

“See Laura, when we talked about having kids before, I was been honest. I want them someday. But someday… I don’t know when that is for sure.” 

The tug was back on Laura’s stomach. Maybe the pancakes won’t settle.

“What do mean with that, Danny?” Laura was giving the benefit of doubt to Danny. She would not jump the gun before things were still unclear. _What is the best for the baby. ._

“What I mean… Laura think with me.” Laura frowned, but nodded anyway. “I am 23. I’m starting my professional career in sports now. I’ll have, let’s say a good 10 years or so in my best performance, to gain as much as tittles and medals are possible. Those will be intense years, with a lot of hard work, giving 100%. But that’s how it is in sports. Are you following me?”

Laura nodded again, still keeping her promise to hear girlfriend before any conclusion. 

“And let’s look at you. You started your own business just 3 years ago. You and Perry are finally making money, but you still have long hours of work and lots of stressful long days. Even with an assistant, you know Perry will need you all the time. You are the one who updates the website and the only one with the unique talent of persuade people.”

 _“Not all people”_ Laura muttered under her breath.

“What?” 

“Nothing. Just, please continue.”

“There is nothing else to say Laura. Isn’t obvious?” Danny raised one eyebrow. Hands in sign of surrender. “We can’t have a baby anytime soon. Maybe in 10 years. But not in 2. And right now is clearly out of question.”

Laura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She counted mentally until 10. _Okay Laura, don’t freak out yet, be cool, you promised._

“Why did you lie?” Laura opened her eyes and looked inquisitive to Danny. “Why did you say to me you would wait 2 years?”

Danny looked ashamed. “Isn’t that obvious too, Laura?” Laura shook her head. “Well, I… I didn’t want to lose you.”

That sensation again. Laura hated that. She was tired. Her heart was tired. Tired to be broken again and again.

“Why Danny?” Laura’s voice was almost a whisper.

“Cause I love you, Laura.” Danny’s voice was trembling “when I think about our future I only see you by my side. Don’t you get that?”

“You can’t keep me around with lies, Danny.”

“I know, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want to come clean, Laura. No more lies or half-truths.” Danny dropped some tears. Laura offered some napkins for her. Danny took them and dried her tears.

“I can’t agree with you Danny” Laura lost her eyes somewhere on her plate. Her mind still fighting with her dilemma. “I can’t wait all of this time. I want a baby now.” That was a half-truth. It was all she could handle in that moment.

“Laura, why do you insist in to be so unrealistic?” Danny had a skeptical tone. “I thought you would realize that by now.” She slapped the table with one hand. “I was wrong.”

“And why do you insist your point of view is always the right one?” Laura looked back to Danny.

“Because I’m right, Laura. Any reasonable person would see that.” Danny crossed her arms. Laura was speechless for a minute. _What is better for the baby?_

“Hello, is everything good with food? Do you need anything else?” The poor waitress was back, just waiting for an opportunity to do her job without be too inconvenient.

“I want the check” Laura said. Danny sighed.

“Alright, just a minute.”

They waited in silence again. Laura took the check and paid for it. Danny paid the tip. Laura led the way out of the diner and walked the small distance until her parked car, in front of her office building. She leaned herself over the driver’s door. Danny came along and leaned by her side, arms still crossed eyes on the floor.

 

“We are very stubborn, Danny, you are right.”

“Laura, can you imagine yourself throwing up in morning meetings? Or running to check on venues with a big belly on your way? Or breastfeeding a baby while you talk to clients?”

“Danny, stop it.” Laura touched Danny’s shoulder. “You don’t have to convince me. Not anymore”.

“What are you saying, Laura? Are you really breaking up with me?” Danny turned to Laura, still leaned in the car.

Laura shook her head. “No. What I’m saying is that I’m not changing my mind.” Laura turned herself to Danny. She knew the answer. “I’m going to have a baby soon. With or without you, it’s up to you.” And that was there. The truth. Not so open and clear, like she wanted, but direct enough for Danny’s sake. The best for her baby was open possibilities.

Danny was trembling, sniffing to hold her cry every 2 seconds. She did not expect Laura’s ultimatum.

“You are not been reasonable, Laura.”

“Maybe I’m not. Maybe you are not too. But this is how it is.” She shrugged “two stubborn people struggling in a relationship.” Laura’s voice was trembling too “the question is: who is more stubborn?”

“We should not end things like this.” Danny took a deep breath, her eyes drenched in tears. Laura saw all the pain in Danny’s eyes. They were both too stubborn to know they could keep fighting for their beliefs forever. But they also knew that their suffering should come to an end. Everything could be summarized to what Laura said before _“This is just me and you needing different things”_. Danny came to the same conclusion.

“Can I… can I hug you?” Danny said. It was unexpected, but Laura nodded.

Danny embraced Laura. She nested her face over babe’s head, feeling her smell for the last time. She missed her more than anything. But she could not force herself into something surely would make her feel miserable and eventually break her. She knew that. She loved Laura, but Laura was not everything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to use new words and expressions, if there is something too weird in that aspect, please tell me in the comments. And thanks again for all comments!


	4. The Old and the New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Laura to move on, but she will need a little help from her friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still reviewing all the previous chapters every time I upload a new chapter, cause I hate to see typos and I’m learning to avoid them and to recognize them even more. The more I write, the more I see them better (I think).

**Chapter 4 – The Old and the New**

 

The last thing Laura wanted was to see Danny again only 2 days after their official split. But she needed her clothes (she could not bear to wear the same pair of suits and skirts in front of her clients) and other things from her apartment. So she texted Danny over the Saturday, to discuss what to do next with their belongs. Danny would be out the whole Sunday, so Laura called Perry to help her to gather her things.

 

On Sunday morning, after Laura was sure Danny was already out, she took out all of the excess things in her car (she usually carried all kinds of last minutes things for weddings in her trunk, it saved her ass uncountable times) and her and Perry drove to her (now) old apartment. It was sad to look at those walls again, knowing she would not see them anymore.

“So, what are we going to get?” said Perry in full move gear mode. She was wearing a blue jeans overall, a red plaid flannel shirt, her curly hair up in a bun and a red bandana. 

“Everything that is mine.” Laura replied. She was wearing her old gray Doctor Who T-shirt, a ripped jeans and also a red bandana in her hair. “Danny said she would keep the furniture and pay me my half, and also of course, everything else she owns me for the last 5 years.”

“She still keeps tabs on everything?” Perry made her classic annoyed look.

“The force is strong on that one” Laura started to grab her things on the living room, taking her collection of pop and soundtracks CDs in the middle of Danny’s country and world music. She was not sure who would take custody of Taylor Swift, though.

Perry was a little lost, not sure what she was suppose to take, so she just mounted the carbon boxes to fill with the things. Laura went for the TV set and her heart felt a tug at the sight of hers and Danny’s pictures in frames. In one of them, Danny was taking Laura in a piggyback ride, they both smiling like two goofies in love. In another one, Danny was giving Laura a tight hug, the kind one Laura loved. It was getting too much for Laura, so she turned all the pictures to face the wall. She noticed Perry a little lost in what she was supposed to take or not.

“Perr, you can take my clothes from the closet. It will be easier, you know all of them.”

“Alright” Perry went inside the bedroom, but came back after a few moments. “Laura, hum…” she said unease.

“Yes, Perry?” Laura’s attention was almost entire on her DVD collection.

“It’s safe for me to dig into your things, in the bedroom?” Perry made a concern face to Laura, who was not aware of her friend face expression.

“Sure, Perry.”

“Ah, there is no risk, you know, for me to find anything too personal?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, like a toy?”

Laura finally looked with an annoyed face to her friend “No, Perry. Nothing like that, you’re fine.” _I wished it was the case._ Laura thought to herself.

“Alright then.” Satisfied, Perry went back to the bedroom, much more relieved.

 

After hours, the place was a mess. Laura took half of the kitchen appliances (pots, pans and cutlery – half of them were geek themed, she would never left them behind) one of the rugs, a couple of candlesticks, a huge stack of DVDs and CDS, her entire collection of books and memorabilia. Her clothes and shoes were all over the place, even though Perry was trying her best to keep everything in place, but Laura had to double check if they weren’t taking Danny’s things by chance, she didn’t want to face her girlfriend again to retrieve something. It was getting late, and they still had a lot of work to do.

“My Lord, Laura, I don’t think we will be able to take all of this today.” Perry said carrying a load of clothes.

“Ohh, no, we have to, Perry.” Laura raised her fists in the air frustrated “I don’t want to make plans with Danny again to have this done another time.”

“I know sweet, but we are just two here and we still have to take all of this to my place, and you can’t make too much effort, cause, you know.” Perry extended her arm pointed to Laura’s belly, dropping some of the clothes in the process.

“I’m not sick, Perry, just pregnant.” Laura rolled her eyes and snorted. “But you’re right, we need someone else.”

“And who can we call to come here in so short notice? It’s Sunday.”

“I know who, Carmilla. It’s her day off today.” Laura grabbed her phone and started to text Carmilla.

“The girl from the drugstore?”

“Yep, that one.”

“Are you friends with her now?”

“I think we are. Well, she helped me with some great advice about Danny. I hope she is awake now.”

“What kind of advise?” Perry asked suspicious.  
“She agreed with you, Perry, she thought I should tell Danny.”

“Well, at least your broody friend has better judgment than you.” Laura rolled her eyes to Perry again.

“Stop calling her broody. She is really a sweet person, you will see.”

 

**+++**

 

It was afternoon and Carmilla was sleeping when she was suddenly awake by a loud bang.

“What the hell?” someone was beating things outside her room. This is was not good.

She tried to sleep again, but another crash sound put her in alert again. She left the comfy of her sheets to see what was going on.

“For fucks sakes, what’s eating you up gingersnap?”

“Don’t gingersnap me, Carmilla. My life is over.” Said Lafontaine. They were throwing chairs at the floor. Their backpack and some books were already spread around the place. They turned to the book shelf, hands dangerously close to Carmilla’s books.

“Wow, take easy on my only printed book, they are hated enough.” Carmilla reached her friend, moving them away from her shelves. She lifted one chair leading them to take a seat. She took another chair to herself, sitting on it backwards, facing Lafontaine. “Calm down, what happened?”

“I was…” they closed their hand in a fist, pressing it on the table. “just, doing my thing in the lab, I had some control samples waiting for a result soon, so I decided to see how things were going, cause this is a very delicate process that can ruined months of research if it’s not done properly.”

“Ok, so…”

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but Natalie was processing some mixture in our centrifuge when an explosion happened and… next thing I knew I was putting out the fire in the lab.”

“Is she hurt?”

“Yes, she is, but not so bad. You know, some first and second degree burns, she’ll live. But the big problem is that the board stopped all of the research and they will start an investigation about the accident.”

“Fuck, Laf, that’s... fuck.”

“This is serious Carmilla. I was removed from any activity in the company. They cut off my paycheck and benefits while the investigation happens.”

“They can do that?”

“Yes, they can. It’s in my stupid contract.” They eased their hands “Worst part, there is no prediction for the investigation duration. But the last time something like that happened it took two years for the committee to find a result. And the scientist got fired anyway.”

“Damn, Laf”

“Yeah, Carmilla, 2 fucking years. What I’m going to do? I have bills to pay. Rent is duo next week.”

“Don’t worry about the rent, my last book is selling like water in the desert” Lafontaine gave Carmilla a skeptical look, she reconsidered her statement “Well at least better than any other before, so I can pay for a few months.”

“What about the rest? My savings are not going to last long.”

“You can find a temporary job for you.” They considered Carmilla idea. It was not easy to get a job in their field, and with the accident case, nobody would give them anything science related. So they would have to look for something less noble, per say. Desperate times, desperate measures.

“They don’t need an extra hand in the drugstore? I would be of great use to give advice for the costumers’ prescriptions.” They said a little bit hopeful.

“No. Unless the Baron dies, what can happen at any moment, but I think that if this happen we all will be out of work anyway.”

“Maybe he is already dead but nobody noticed yet.” There was a sparkle shining in their eyes.

“Yeah, who knows?” Carmilla was kind of intrigued by the suggestion.

“I should do an experiment on him.” And then it was, a bright new idea.

“I think you should take easy on the science for a while.” Carmilla patted her friend hand, noticing their sort of crazy look. “And find something different?”

“Yeah, like what?”

“I know about an opportunity, actually. There is this girl I met in the store-”

“Another one of those, Vampira? Have you not learned anything?” they said in a condescending tone.

“She is just a friend, trust me.” Carmilla gave them a sober look.

“Yeah, right.” Lafontaine said in a full mock tone.

“Seriously, she is even expecting a child.” She said in a harsh tone.

“Wow, you are really going all the way with your whole research thing for your book, huh? First a striper, now a pregnant chick? Didn’t know you dig that.”

“And you seem just fine about your lack of job, so fuck off.”

“No, come on, Carmilla. For a brief second I forget all about my shit. Please go on.” They pleaded with sad eyes.

Carmilla sighed, giving them the death stare “You’re lucky we share the rent, meathead.”

“The pregnant girl has a job offer?” they said in a serious tone, driving Carmilla away from their argument.

“Yes. She needs a new assistant.” Carmilla tangled her fingers in her hair, combing a few locks away from her face. “It’s a small company, it’s only her and her business partner, but she said it’s a good paycheck. And some benefits.”

“And what kind of company she has?”

“It’s a wedding planning thing. And it’s close from here.”

“Oh, wedding planning?” they said apathetic. “Thank you, but no thank you.”

“You don’t want even talk to her, see if you like it? You never know.”

“I can’t see myself dealing with flowers and invitations and all of that fluffy flowery girly thing that all weddings have. No.”

“Well, it’s your loss.”

“Thanks for the talk. But I will cook something to soothe myself a little.” They sighed. “Maybe I can discover a new kind of brownie”. They stood up and headed for the kitchen.

“Knock yourself up. And if something turns out edible, save me something.”

 

Carmilla went back to her room, throwing herself on her bed again. _Finally a moment of peace._ Her phone made a buzz, it was probably a new message. _What now?_ She almost ignored the text, but decided to check it out. It was Laura.

 **Cupcake (15:30p.m.):** Carm, if you are awake, please text me back.

 **Carmilla (15:31p.m.):** I’m awake, Cupcake.

 **Cupcake (15:33p.m.):** Yeee! I need a huge favor… it’s your day off, right?

 **Carmilla (15:33p.m.):** yes. What you need?

 **Cupcake (15:35p.m.):** So, Perry and I came to my ex apartment, we are definitely over btw, to take my things, but I had no idea it was too much stuff, so I need an extra pair of hands here.

 **Carmilla (15:35p.m.):** say no more, I’ll be on my way

 **Cupcake (15:36p.m.):** thanks!

 **Carmilla (15:36p.m.):** actually, say more I need the address, duh

 

While Laura texted Carmilla her address, Carmilla left her bed and shout to her friend at the kitchen.

“Hey, Laf, want to do your good deed for the day?” 

They turned their head from one of the cupboards, hands full of ingredients. “What do you mean?”

Carmilla approached her friend, phone in hands. “Since you are in the mood to move things that are not suppose to, what about carry some stuff and make yourself useful?”

“I don’t think so” they said in a monotone. Carmilla looked at her phone again.

“Ahhh, and the promise of some of the best cookies in the world. Right from the oven.”

“Those ones you talked the other day and left nothing to me, just the story?”

“Yep, those ones.”

“What’s the catch?” They asked suspicious. 

“I just said it. Just moving some things for a friend. Are you in or out?”

“It’s the pregnant one?”

“Yep.”

“She is the one that gave you the cookies?”

“Yes. Are you coming or not?” Carmilla leaned her arm on one chair and tilted her head.

“You have a problem, Carmilla.”

“So you’re out.” Carmilla reached for her phone and started to text again.

“No, no, I’m in.” they step forward to Carmilla, covering her hands over her phone.

“Okay, let me text her back…” Carmilla moved her hands away from her friend “‘I’m bringing extra pair of hands, provide more cookies’”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla and Lafontaine arrived at the address Laura gave them. Carmilla rang the doorbell. After a beat Laura was opening the door for them.

“Hey” Laura said with a kind smile. Carmilla could notice a trace of sadness still in her eyes. At the same time she was happy to see Laura again after one week of their trip to the lake.

“Hey” Carmilla answered. Laura stepped back, giving way for Carmilla and Lafontaine to enter. And they were graced with a view of piles of things scattering around the apartment living room. “Wow Cupcake, didn’t peg you as a hoarder.”

Laura gave Carmilla a playful slap on her shoulder. “I told you things were a little messy.”

“ _A little?_ ” Carmilla raised one brow. “Luckily I’m not alone. Laura this is my friend and roommate, Lafontaine.”

“Nice to meet you” Laura extended her hand to Carmilla’s friend, who greeted Laura’s back.

“Nice to meet you too, Laura” they gave her a polite smile “and I prefer the use of neutral pronouns, they, their, them.”

“Okay” Laura said a bit confused before walk next to Carmilla, who was in the middle of the room, looking around the place. “Hey, Perry, come here.”

Perry came from the kitchen with thermal gloves in hand. Carmilla resisted the urge to make another joke.

“The cookies will be ready in 10 minutes” Perry said adjusting her hair. “Oh, you must be Carmilla” she offered her hand to Carmilla “nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Laura’s friend.” Carmilla greeted back, but she could not avoid the smirk, though. 

Perry measured Carmilla from head to toes, keeping her forced smile. Carmilla was wearing ripped black jeans, combat books, a black tank top and a purple and black plaid shirt. Laura rolled her eyes to the situation.

“Yeah, Carmilla this is Perry and Perry, they are Lafontaine” Laura pointed to the other ginger coming, eyes still scanning the mess “Carmilla’s friend who are here to help us too.”

Carmilla stepped to the side, opening the way for her friend. When Lafontaine eyes focus on the other ginger, they were about to make a Rosie the Riveter joke, but as soon as they met Perry’s eyes, the joke was forgotten somewhere in their brain.

Carmilla looked confused at her friend expression, and then she looked back at Perry, seeing the same goofy façade. Laura got surprised too, exchanging a “what the hell” look with Carmilla. After a moment of a strange silence, Perry stretched out her hands.

“I’m Perry, nice to meet you, Lafontaine” a smile was back on Perry’s face, but a much more genuine this time.

“Yes” Lafontaine gulped and gave their hands to shake Perry’s “Nice to meet you”. 

None of them seem eager to drop the other hand. Laura exchanged another look with Carmilla, who now was amused by the scene, before talk again.

“So” Laura got a carbon box and made a gesture for the trio. “We have less than an hour to fill these boxes” they all looked back at her “before Danny gets home.”

“Alright” Perry blinked and took the box from Laura’s hand, walking to a corner of the room. “Let’s vanish this mess.”

“I’ll help you” Lafontaine said following Perry’s lead.

“What just happened?” Laura said to Carmilla after the duo of gingers walked away.

“I just think they clicked or something” Carmilla shrugged “yeah, let’s get this mess out of here.”

Laura was still a bit confused about the weird scene, but too much worried about Danny’s eminent approach to care more.

 

**+++**

 

“Lafontaine dear, please go check the cookies” Perry said at the corner of the clothes piles.

“On my way” Lafontaine dropped their box and walked to the back of the apartment.

 

Carmilla was still amused at the interaction of the ginger duo. She was stocking Laura’s books in one box, taking more time than the necessary (she was way too curious about Laura’s reading material). She found the entire collection of Harry Potter ( _of course_ ) hard cover and paperback ( _what a nerd_ ) classics of American and French literature ( _not bad_ ) and… _wow_. Carmilla was looking at a very familiar black cover, with 2 bleeding red hearts and a white arrow. It was her beloved _The Distance Between Two Hearts_. Carmilla could feel something different on her too, maybe something similar to the state of the hearts on the book cover, but she was not sure.

“Carm, we need to go faster…”Laura was coming to rush Carmilla, when she saw what her new friend was holding. “Ahhh…” she was not sure what to do next.

“Is this yours?” Carmilla kept a straight face. Laura was still taken aback by her friend discover.

“Yeah” Laura almost reached for Carmilla’s hand to take the book “you probably think this is silly, or trash literature… but I like it.” She decided to take a stand about her tastes, she would not be worried about it like she had done with Danny in the past.

“I have one too” Carmilla shrugged “I found it at a thrift shop and gave it a try.”

“Did you like it?” Laura asked apprehensive. 

“Yes, very much” Carmilla gave Laura a warm smile “I found it very well written. And…” she raised one brow “very sexy.” Laura sighed in relief.

“Yes” Laura took the book from Carmilla’s hand looked at the cover with care “Well written, sexy, but also very sad.”

“Do you think?” Carmilla’s seductive eyes were gone.

“Yeah… I mean, this girls, they were so much in love but they didn’t notice that their relationship was doomed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since the first chapter you can see they only looked at each other’s qualities and totally forgot all the rest. They never worked their differences, or talked about their flaws, so…”

“But, they had so much in common. And they loved each other too much, how would they even know?” Carmilla justified.

“Just because they were similar it doesn’t mean they were meant for each other…” Laura sighed “Kind of like me and Danny.”

“So, what do you think would work for them?” Carmilla was more interested than she would admit.

“Who knows? But that’s the question, right? I think that’s why I love this book so much, there is not a clear answer for this.” She gave the book back to Carmilla.

“Yeah” Carmilla looked at the backs of the frames behind Laura. She hadn’t’ seen their front, but she knew what they were covering “love is tough.”

“Well, I think I will read this again. Maybe C.M. Arcillma will have some comforting words for me.”

“Who knows” Carmilla placed the book in the box “Maybe she will.”

 

**+++**

 

“You have all seven seasons of Buffy? Awesome!” celebrated Lafontaine with a lifted fist while organizing Laura’s DVDs inside a box.

“Do you like Buffy?” Laura asked while duck taping a box full of CDs.

“Who doesn’t? Kick ass leading lady, vampires, ancient creatures, demons, Willow and Tara, though not a happy ending that, but anyway, who doesn’t?” they said excited eyeing at the other 3 people on the room looking for approval, only finding it in Laura.

“Well, some people” Laura stared with judgmental eyes at Perry, who were lifting piles of clothes into a box.

“I don’t get all the fuss about vampires and werewolves.” She gave them an unimpressed smile “they aren’t even a real thing, so why I’m suppose to care about them?”

“I’m not going there again with you” Laura made a frowned and looked at Carmilla with questioning eyes, waiting for a position on the matter.

“Hum…” Carmilla eyes were more interested in the books on her hands “…too nerdy for me to care” she shrugged. “But I dig Faith”. 

“Aha!” Laura pointed to Perry “See, you are the only one. I win.”

“I did not say I liked” Carmilla said casually. Perry’s frown turned into a neutral expression.

“I think we need a marathon to settle this once and for all.” Laura said determined.

“I’m in!” Lafontaine raised their hand in a high five position for Laura, who met their hand with a firm slap right away. Laura looked anxious to Perry.

“Maybe” Perry said making her thinking face “I think we should worry about finish this first, cause, you know, that’s why we are here for.”

“Fine.” Laura said in a low tone, making a pout. She was so concentrated in the Buffy discussion she totally forget for a minute her real world problems. It was kind of nice. But only for a minute.

 

**+++**

 

After another hour of packing, labeling and cookie appreciation, the group gathered all of Laura’s belongs placing all the boxes on Perry’s truck and some minor and delicate things on Laura’s car. Laura took a last look at her former apartment. Her heart was heavy again, thinking about the last year she had spent between those walls with Danny. The happy moments. The funny ones. Their fights. Their moments of peace. Their expectations for the future. She realized then, that they never did solid plans, it was always suggestions, possibilities, dreams. But nothing too much serious. No real commitment further the living together situation. The baby was the first real challenge and compromise they almost got into. Yeah, almost.

 

Laura drove her car to Perry’s apartment, while Perry followed on her truck and Lafontaine came right after with Carmilla in their car. It was a 20 minutes trip. Laura’s old apartment was much closer to her office than Perry’s, but she could not care about that place anymore. It was Danny’s who had chosen that place anyway, so she could have it.

 

In Lafontaine’s car, Carmilla was intrigued by Laura’s comments on her book. Maybe she also should read it again. Looking to her side, she noticed how Lafontaine face expression was so much more peaceful than it was before their trip to Danny’s apartment. She suspected what was the reason.

“Are you feeling better now?” Carmilla said to Lafontaine while they were driving.

“Yes. You were right, Laura is a very nice person.”

“Told you.” Carmilla gave them a provocative smile “And what about Laura’s friend? Did you like her too?”

“Yeah, she is also very nice. Like Laura.”

Carmilla was expecting something more than that dull answer. But it was too soon to pick them about it yet, they still had more time to spend with the girls. She was not going to let that pass, though.

 

In Perry’s place, it was another 20 minutes of elevator trips from the cars to the apartment. The boxes filled the entire guest bedroom and some empty spaces over the hall and the living room.

“I’m ruining your apartment, Perry” Laura said with a moan after the last box was dropped “I really need to find a place of my own.”

“Don’t worry sweetie, you can take your time, we’ll be fine” Perry was about to head to the kitchen to prepare a meal for the group. “And you two” she turned to Carmilla and Lafontaine resting on the couch “you are going to stay for dinner, understood?”

“Yes, ma'am” Carmilla made a salute plopping herself down even further on the couch. She looked with a playful smile to Laura, who was sitting on the armchair adjacent to the couch. “Hey, Cupcake, the worst part is done. Lose the pity party face.”

Laura covered her face with her hands, her head laid on the backrest. “Yes, one thing is done. But I have a lot to take care of.” She rested her hands over lap again. “I still need to buy a lot of things and to hire an assistant.”

“Maybe I can help” Lafontaine said suddenly a lot interested. Carmilla gave them a confused look. “I just kind of lost my job. And I need a new one.”

“Right” Laura gave a sympathetic look to Lafontaine “Do you know what me and Perry do, right?”

“Yes, wedding planning. I mean… that’s all I know.”

She nodded “You can send me your resume and we can schedule an interview for this week.”

At the cue, Perry came from the kitchen, spoon in hand. “Do you work well on the phone?” she asked looking at Lafontaine.

“Yes. I’m okay with talking with people on the phone.” They nodded smiling at Perry.

“Can you update and run a website?” Perry kept her serious business face into the questionnaire.

“What kind of code are we talking about? HTML? CSS? ASP?”

“HTML and CSS” Laura answered “and Photoshop, vectors.”

“Yes, I can do that.” They confirmed.

“Are you prepared to hear a 30 minute vent from a bride? Or a groom?” Perry asked and continued. “Ready to deal with lame excuses from suppliers, last minute change of plans, working on most of the weekends?” Carmilla looked perplexed at Laura’s red hair friend. Then back to her own red hair friend.

“You have no idea what I can hear and deal on a daily basis…” they looked at Carmilla with a snarky smile, then back with a serious face to Perry “I can totally survive that.”

“Have you finished school?” asked Laura, trying to follow Perry’s lead.

“Yes, I’m a biology major, with a minor degree in chemistry. Finished 3 years ago, like Carmilla. We were also roommates back then.”

“You went to college, Carmilla?” Laura lost her trail in the unexpected job interview.

“Yes” Carmilla answered not sure where her attention should go.

“I didn’t know that.” Laura tilted her head to the side, eyes lost in new thoughts.

“Well, I don’t see why she can’t have the job… I mean, they” Perry continued the last exchange like Laura and Carmilla haven’t changed the course of the talk.

“Perry, can I talk to you for a second?” Laura broke from her own wandering moment, standing up and stretching her back.

“Sure.” Perry gave Laura her classic big eyes and smile, while her friend took her hand, leading them to the kitchen.

 

Lafontaine gave a genuine happy smile to Carmilla, who was still trying to understand what just happened.

“What are you doing?” Carmilla nudged her friend “You said you didn’t want the job.”

“Well, they are very nice people, why not? And I really need the money. And I’m more than qualify.”

 _“They?”_ Carmilla chuckled and crossed her arms. “Whatever makes you feel better, ginger.”

“What now?”

“Well, you are always mocking my dates, it’s time for you to prove of your own medicine.”

“I’m not dating anyone” they said in an annoyed tone. Carmilla just rolled her eyes.

 

**+++**

 

“What is going on, Perry?” Laura demanded from her partner, who was taking care of the food on the stove again.

“Stakes, smash potatoes and peas. I hope you don’t feel sick with this menu.” Perry kept her attention on the food, eyes trained to all of the pots, hand busy on stirring.

“Perry, you basically hired Carmilla’s friend without ask me first.”

“You were there, Laura. I don’t understand your attitude.”

“Oh, come on Perry, you’re the one who think things through, who like to make wise decision. This is not wise. ” Laura was in her full body-movements-to-explains-things mode.

“Laura, have you remember the people we talked this week?” Perry gave Laura a glance over her shoulder. “None of them was up to the task, and Lafontaine just showed a lot of competency helping with your things. I think they are perfect, how can you not see that?”

 

Laura scowled, placing her hands on her waist. Perry was kind of right. Lafontaine was a true scout the whole time, making everything Perry and herself asked for, not complaining or making a face a single time ( _unlike Carmilla, who was kind of lazy - maybe she was sleepy, yeah, that was it, sure_ ). And yes, their skills were just what they needed, even though their degree was not really helpful, but they were smart enough to finish college at least. But it was not cool for Perry to basically hire someone without ask her for her approval first.

 

“Maybe you are right” Laura sighed, not wanting to give up on her reasons, but not really in a mood to fight about something that was stressing her more than it should. “But, Perr, don’t do that again, you know I hate when you don’t give me a say on things.”

“Sorry Laura, I really thought we were on the same page.” Perry said sincere.

“Okay, we can hire them for a probation time and see if they fit.” Perry made a cheerful smile “But I still have a few questions for them.”

“Alright.” Perry turned to Laura “You can make your questions now, while I finish the food. Dinner will read in 15.”

“Right” Laura took a deep breath and left.

 

**+++**

 

When Laura entered the room, Lafontaine looked at her with eager eyes. She sat at the armchair again, thinking a little more before make things official with her new future assistant.

“So…” Laura straightened her back on the chair, crossing her legs and turning to Lafontaine “what was your previous job?”

“I was a lab researcher for a pharmaceutical company – The Belmond, we were developing a new drug to treat insomnia.” They answered right away in a very clear and polite tone.

“How long you worked there?”

“Three years, they hired me right after graduation.”

“Ok” Laura made a pause “When did you left there and why?”

Lafontaine frowned a bit, the memories of the morning still fresh on their mind “This morning” they took a deep breath “I was working on some samples and one of my co-workers got into a fire. Nothing too serious, but enough for them to withdraw all of us from the project for an internal investigation.” They shrugged “It’s the company standard policy. And it can take a very long time. Even years.”

“Oh” Laura was a bit scared about the whole fire thing, but satisfied with Carmilla’s friend sincerity. “And why do you want to work with us on something completely different from what you were doing so far?”

“Well, I know this seems out of the ordinary, but I think this is a good thing for me, cause I don’t want to be near a lab for a while really.” They looked at their friend right by their side “I didn’t think that before, when Carmilla told me about the job, I was skeptical, but after this afternoon, working with you and Perry” they looked back at Laura “I think I should give it a try at least.”

“Alright” Laura uncrossed her legs, resting her hands over her knees “How do you feel about starting this Monday?”

“So, I got the job?” they widen their eyes with the news.

“Well, you will be on a probation period, but yes, you did.” She gave them a thoughtful smile “Congratulations.”

“Thank you Laura” they turned to a newly arrived Perry “and thank you Perry”.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Lafontaine. You are very welcome.” Laura and Carmilla noticed the small blush over their friends faces. “So, dinner is served.” Perry announced giving them a sheer smile.

 

After eating the delicious food, the four friends were back again at the living room. Carmilla and Lafontaine had thanked Perry for the food and the cookies. They were indeed the best in the world.

 

Perry greeted Carmilla and Lafontaine with a firm hand shake (Carmilla could swear Perry and Lafontaine blushed again, but she was not sure) while Laura gave her new friend and assistant a warm hug in appreciation for all the help. While Perry was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes, Lafontaine went first to their car to warm the engine. Carmilla and Laura were at the apartment door, taking their time for a proper goodbye.

 

“So…” Laura said leaning on the doorframe “you guys helped me a lot. Things were just a mess and I thought I would have to talk to Danny again and go there another day and that would be really tense and…” Laura took a deep breath “It was a long day but I’m glad we are done, so thank you for being such a great friend.”

“Any time, Cupcake” Carmilla gave Laura a shy smile, hands tucked inside her pants pockets.

Laura raised her arms, standing up straight from the doorframe, embracing Carmilla, who was caught in the moment, a little surprised by the gesture.

“Thank you for everything” Laura said in almost a whisper tone in Carmilla’s ears. Carmilla retracted her hands from the pockets, returning Laura hug touching the back of her arms.

Laura gave Carmilla one tight squeeze before separate their bodies. Carmilla could feel her own heart beating in a fast pace.

“Wait a minute!” Laura said before leaving Carmilla by the door. After a quick moment she was back with a folded shirt. “And thank you for this too.” She handed the shirt to Carmilla.

“I told you didn’t have to wash it” Carmilla took the shirt.

“Of course I had to” Laura gave Carmilla another cheerful smile. “And I was serious about the Buffy marathon. I’m sure you are going to change your mind.”

Carmilla chuckled, shaking her head “Not so fast, Cupcake. We’ll see about that.”

“I’ll give you the chance to show me something you like too. I’m a reasonable person.”

 

“Yeah, that’s a little more fair.” Carmilla nodded “Alright, I got to go. Bye, Laura” 

“Bye, Carmilla”.

Carmilla gave two steps back before turn and walk to the elevator. Laura was still at the front door, looking Carmilla wait for the elevator. She felt something she didn’t feel for a while. She thought it was relief. Or hope. Or, perhaps, a little of both. Time will tell for sure.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on chapter 5 now, and having so much fun, I hope you will like it when it's up.  
> Chapters will have the average size of 5K words, I think it is a good fit for the structure I’m working on. And thanks for all the new kudos!


	5. A Matter of Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla makes some new findings. Laura gets a big surprise. And Elsie is back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want a deep look at this chapter, just google the song.

**Chapter 5 – A Matter of Feeling**

 

On her next sift at the drugstore, Carmilla was already missing Laura’s company. Also, she felt a bit stupid and hopeless. It was uncomfortable. Uncomfortable. And inevitable. She hated to admit this to herself, but it was true. She was falling for the girl. It was ridiculous. Just ridiculous. They haven’t even kissed. In the reality, they have barely touched. How something like that could even be possible?

 

It was not like that first time. The first time she fell for someone. She was not _in love_ with Laura, yet. But it was different. When she met Ell, they were in college, freshman year. The first thing she thought was _“this girl is fucking hot”_. With Laura, it was something like _“who is this girl”_.

 

Carmilla never had a real connection to anyone at her foster family. Her last deep connection to people was lost 10 years before she laid her eyes on Ell. Her real self was closed to the rest of the world. But the lovely blond psychology student got something on Carmilla. Their mutual physical attraction turned into affection. Over the months, the affection had deepened into their hearts and souls to something more. To love. To the freaking feeling of love. But maybe, not in the same level for both of them.

 

With Laura, things happened in a very complete different way. First she was amused by the girl’s quirkiness. Then, she felt some kind of content by her presence. With not much talk and zero physical contact. And then there was this fondness. Carmilla was not sure if the order was right or if the feelings were exactly what she was trying to label. All she knew she was walking into a new territory. In was unknown and familiar at the same time. But what really scared her was not the unknown, but the intensity. And the inevitability of it.

 

She got a new text buzz, taking her out of her thoughts. 

**Elsie (11:45p.m.):** interested in a private lap dance session after your shift?

 

Elsie was always straight to the point. But Carmilla was not sure if she wanted to do that again. Her last book was done. Probably would not be the last one on the series of _Mircalla_ , but she was not inclined to have meaningless sex for a while. She felt like she was cheating on Laura, even though there was nothing happening between them. Or that would ever will. It just didn’t feel right.

 

 **Carmilla (11:48p.m.):** that’s an incredible offer, but I have to decline

 **Elsie (11:50p.m.):** Is everything ok with you?

 **Carmilla (11:51p.m.):** yes. I’m just not in the mood

 **Elsie (11:53p.m.):** ok, but if you change your mind, I’ll be out by 6

 

After an ordinary lazy shift, Carmilla was at home, having dinner for breakfast (a reheated pizza). She was an excellent cooker, when she wanted, but most of the time she was too lazy to cook. So, pizza from yesterday was not so bad.

 

With a yawn Lafontaine entered the kitchen, stretching their arms. They were wearing a navy blue PJs, their short red hair in messy spikes. They went straight to the coffee maker.

 

“You could have made some coffee, Vamp. Help out a friend sometime.” They looked frustrated at Carmilla, who as leaned in her chair lazily, legs spread over the table.

“Good morning to you too” she showed them a sarcastic grin. “How was your first day in the new job?”

“Uhhh… it was good. Yeah, good.” They were having some trouble to make the machine to function.

“That’s it? Good?” Carmilla was kind of disappointed. Her friend was not giving her anything to work with. 

“The usual of first days, you know… they showed me how to file things, where everything is suppose to be on the office, how their system works… nothing crazy or weird.”

Carmilla only hummed a confirmation sound.

“One thing was kind of weird, though” they said after a moment of silence, coffee finally in hands. “Perry didn’t let me make the coffee or the hot chocolates. She said she likes to take care of those things, even though they are what assistants usually do.”

“Ah, wow, what an interesting piece of fact.” Carmilla said in a monotone.

“And Laura loves hot chocolate.” they blinked an eye to Carmilla “she have a mug every other hour. Her favorite it’s the Tardis one.”

That was really interesting to Carmilla, but she kept her poker face to them. “You sure had a fascinated day, ginger ale.” She stood up and left her dirty dish over the table, like most of the time “But I think my bed in calling me.”

 

**+++**

 

After 2 days of Elsie’s last text, Carmilla got another one.

 

 **Elsie (06:03a.m.):** I have the day off today, do you wanna fuck?

 

Carmilla made a strange sound with her mouth and almost fall from her chair.

 

“Is everything okay over there, Carmilla?” shout out Betty from the cash register. Carmilla was luckily in the comfort zone of the prescription counter.

“Yes” she answered in a harsh tone standing up. Betty made a sympathetic smile to Carmilla.

“Oh fuck” she said under her breath. She picked it up her phone from the floor and texted back to Elsie.

 

 **Carmilla (06:06a.m.):** straight to the point, huh?

 

Carmilla felt pathetic again. She would love to have sex, it’s been days. But not with Elsie. Nothing with anyone else but…

 

 **Elsie (06:07a.m.):** I’m a girl with needs. Are you up to the task?

Carmilla cursed again. She didn’t want to explain to Elsie her stupid feelings towards Laura again. It was embarrassing. But she also felt she owned to Elsie.

 

 **Carmilla (06:09a.m.):** I’ll be there around 7.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla gave Elsie what she wanted. Twice. When they fell side by side on Elsie’s bed, Carmilla was taking deep breaths. That was… intense. Elsie propped herself on her elbows, leaning over Carmilla. She kissed her collarbones, dragging her hips on top of Carmilla.

 

“You don’t have to.” Carmilla said still short of breath.

“I want to” Elsie said in Carmilla’s ear “this is part of my needs, sexy lady.”

 

Carmilla let herself go while Elsie worked her magic hands on her flanks. Elsie was hunger and creative. A very good combination. Carmilla took mental notes of her moves. It was never too much for her researching purposes. But after long minutes working on her clit and her G-spot, Elsie’s hands were getting cramps. Her arms tired of the repetitive movements. Carmilla was in some kind of zone, but never getting to the peak. Something was wrong.

 

Finally exhausted, Elsie threw her back on the bed. Carmilla kept her eyes shut. 

“What is up, Carmilla? Is that girl?” Elsie was getting her breath back. She was also kind of surprised. That never happened in her hands before.

“Fuck… I’m sorry Elsie.” Carmilla felt helpless and embarrassed.

“Don’t… just… do wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.”

“You know… you need to get over her, Carmilla.”

“I don’t think I ever will.”

 

Elsie knew what that meant. Carmilla was falling. She just laid there a little bit more with Carmilla. She was determined to help her friend to sort things out.

 

“Is she still dating that tall ginger?” Elsie turned to her side to face Carmilla. Her breathing was getting to normal.

“No. She’s not.”

“So, now I get it. You have a shot. Is this the reason you are not getting off?”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Carmilla turned to face Elsie. “Really complicated”.

Like in a cue, Carmilla phone’s got a new text. She knew it was probably Laura, with her first texts of the day. But she didn’t move to take her phone.

“It’s her, isn’t she?” Elsie raised one brow looking at Carmilla’s phone over her side table.

“Maybe.”

 

Another sound from a text came from Carmilla’s phone.

 

“I’ll tell you what…” Elsie sat on the bed, stretching her hands and arms. “You text her back while I take a shower. Then I’ll take you to eat breakfast for dinner. I know you like it.”

“You don’t have to-“ Carmilla tried to protest, but she got another text. Yep, it was Laura.

“I don’t take no for answer. It’s my treat.”

“You are a very observant person, Elsie.”

“It makes wonders for my job.” She teased Carmilla with a smirk.

 

Just after Elsie was out, Carmilla reached for her phone. A flow of texts from Laura was already in her screen.

 **Cupcake (08:20a.m.):** I know you are only answering this too late, but what do you do on your work when are having a super lazy day?

 **Cupcake (08:21a.m.):** cause I’m waiting for this cake lady forever and I don’t really know what to do. I’m so bored!

 **Cupcake (08:23a.m.):** and I’m surrounding by cakes and muffins and… it’s really not helping.

 

Carmilla chuckled, she could only imagine how Laura could behave in a bakery, it was probably the cutest thing in the world.

 

 **Carmilla (08:26a.m.):** I always carry a book

 **Cupcake (08:27a.m.):** so you are up :)

 **Cupcake (08:27a.m.):** insomnia?

 **Carmilla (08:28a.m.):** something like that

 **Cupcake (08:29a.m.):** I’m sorry for you

 **Carmilla (08:30a.m.):** don’t be, I’m fine

 **Cupcake (08:32a.m.):** So, a book. Not a bad idea. I have a lot to read. Like babies’ books and stuff. I cannot rely only on Google, like some people

 **Carmilla (08:33a.m.):** I do not rely on Google for everything, you should know. I do a lot of on camp research too.

 **Cupcake (08:34a.m.):** Yeah? Like what?

“Like what I’m doing just right now” Carmilla said to herself.

 **Carmilla (08:36a.m.):** I have other interests besides philosophy and duck paddleboat rides.

 **Cupcake (08:37a.m.):** I would never know. Care to tell me?

 **Carmilla (08:38a.m.):** Yes, I do.

 **Cupcake (08:39a.m.):** Really? Why?

 **Carmilla (08:41a.m.):** I have to keep some of my secrets, Cupcake. Otherwise I’ll lose my air of mystery, won’t I?

 **Cupcake (08:42a.m.):** that’s… X(

 **Cupcake (08:44a.m.):** Cake lady is finally here, gotta go!

 **Cupcake (08:44a.m.):** But you are so gonna tell me about this mysterious crap.

 

Carmilla was laughing while staring at her phone. _Laura is adorable._ Elsie was out of the shower, intrigued by Carmilla’s smile.

 

Carmilla noticed Elsie looking at her. “Oh, I’m getting ready”. She gave to her stripper friend a nod, before reach for her clothes scattered around the room.

 

**+++**

 

“So, you are in love” Elsie started her talk with Carmilla straight to the point, like she naturally would.

Carmilla was taken aback. She shook her head and looked at the street outside the Lustig Diner. “You are worst than me”.

“You like it!” Elsie took one napkin from the door napkin and started to fold it. “Never beating around the bush.”

“To be honest with you, I don’t know.”

“I have seen this before, Carmilla.” Elsie kept her eyes focused on her hands still folding and unfolding the napkin “I never felt it, I never will, but I know how it looks.”

“Well, never say never.” Carmilla gave Elsie her classical smirk. 

Elsie only lifted her head to look at Carmilla for a second before focusing on her napkin origami again. “I’m aromantic. That’s why I was concern when you called that last time. I cannot reciprocate any romantic feelings.”

Carmilla was intrigued. She wanted to talk about Elsie and her lack of romantic feelings, but she knew it was not the right time. So, she focused on herself instead, it was the intent of their meeting anyway.

“I have been in love before. But this is not the same.”

“What’s the difference?”

“She is unavailable.” Carmilla shook her head and folded her arm over the table “she broke up with her girlfriend, but she is not in a position to start anything with anyone.”

“And why you say that?”

“She is pregnant.”

 

Elsie looked with widen eyes to Carmilla. The waitress approached, giving them their plates. Carmilla was having scramble eggs, bacon and waffles. Elsie was getting a huge cheeseburger with fries.

 

Elsie ate a couple of fries before she spoke again. “Did she cheated her girlfriend with a guy, or it was intentional?” She sighed “Either way, you are screwed.”

Carmilla poured a ton of syrup over her waffle before to shove it in her mouth. “It was intentional” she said with a mouth full.

“How come?” Elsie was finally giving a proper bite on her burger.

“She tried to surprise her girlfriend, they were planning to have a baby for a while, but she wasn’t ready.”

“What do you mean?”

“See, I told you it was complicated. She got inseminated as a surprise for Xena. Her girlfriend got some kind of big break on her career, so Laura didn’t tell her about the baby.”

“So, her girlfriend never knew about the baby?”

“I’m not sure. I know they have talked again. Laura asked my opinion about it, I told her if I was her girlfriend I would want to know.” Carmilla took a sip from her coffee “I didn’t want to pry, so I never asked if she told her.”

“You were right, this is fucking complicated.” Elsie gave Carmilla a sympathetic smile “But I’ll tell you what, if you really think you two can work out, you have to be sure about her girlfriend.”

“Sure about what?”

“That she knows about the baby. Because if she doesn’t, there is a big chance she’ll try to get your girl back.”

“Do you think?”

“I’m sure. I know stories, Carmilla. I do know some pretty tragic stories. Also some happy ones too. But sometimes the difference between one from another is a simple detail: communication. Usually the lack of it.”

“I think you’re right.” Carmilla thought about her and Ell, and how communication did a number on them. Among other things.

“And, another thing.” Elsie said with a serious expression.

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t peg you as a family person.” Elsie formed a crooked smile.

 

Carmilla gave her a shy nod. She was not sure what to say about that, so she didn’t say anything. She just kept pushing food to her mouth. She knew Elsie was right. She just needed the right moment to talk this with Laura. Somehow she would.

 

Elsie finished her food like a champion. She was really hungry after all the activities. She took her paper crane and wrote something on it, setting the origami by her plate.

 

“What is that for?” Carmilla asked, still eating the last of her eggs.

“I always had a thing for waitresses, you know?” She winked to Carmilla, then stared shamelessly to the waitress coming to take their plates. “The way they juggle all of those plates and trays. Makes me wet just to look at.”

Carmilla shook her head. She knew Elsie was already looking for her next to-go girl. “You are unbelievable, Elsie.”

“I’m just a resourceful girl, Carmilla.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty aware of that too.”

 

**+++**

 

 **Laura (6:45a.m.):** Morning sickness is a bitch

 **Carmilla (6:46a.m.):** Cursing much, Cupcake?

 **Laura (6:46a.m.):** I just hate this part of pregnancy

 **Carmilla (6:47a.m.):** Can I do something to help?

 **Laura (6:48a.m.):** Do you have a Tardis so I can travel 2 months to the future? Or maybe 8, directly to the delivery day?

 **Carmilla (6:49a.m.):** I meant something in the real world?

 **Laura (6:49a.m.):** No, even better, just after the delivery part, I’m also terrified of that too

 **Carmilla (6:50a.m.):** Is this bad? I mean, your sickness, not your nerdy cravings

 **Carmilla (6:50a.m.):** Because this is a lost cause for sure

 **Laura (6:51a.m.):** If you know what a Tardis is, you’re just as nerd as me

 **Carmilla (6:52a.m.):** I just happen to live with another nerd, that’s all

 **Laura (6:52a.m.):** but yes, it’s really bad

 **Laura (6:53a.m.):** I don’t want my tiny human thinking I hate them, but this sucks, just sucks A LOT

 **Carmilla (6:54a.m.):** Tiny human, huh? That’s really cute.

 **Laura (6:54a.m.):** (:

 **Laura (6:55a.m.):** But seriously, I don’t want to be a bitchy mother, I just want a day without facing the toilet this much.

 

 **Laura (6:59a.m.):** Carm?

 

 **Carmilla (7:07a.m.):** So, I talked to my boss about your problem…

 **Carmilla (7:08a.m.):** Sorry I got too long, the man talks like the world just stood still to hear him

 **Carmilla (7:10a.m.):** He told me about this brand new medication that just came out and it’s suppose to be a miracle for morning sickness. He got a lot of samples from the pharmaceutical company and gave me some. Want to try it?

 **Laura (7:11a.m.):** Yes! Please!

 **Carmilla (7:11a.m.):** Ok! So, where are you now? Still home?

 **Laura (7:12a.m.):** I’m heading the office now, today is WDay, which means wedding day, so I need to be there early

 **Laura (7:13a.m.):** I would ask for Laf to pick it up, but they went with Perry to solve some flowers emergency.

 **Carmilla (7:13a.m.):** I can bring it to you

 **Laura (7:14a.m.):** No Carm, you did enough for me, go home to rest

 **Carmilla (7:14a.m.):** I basically read all night, I’m not this tired

 **Carmilla (7:15a.m.):** Give me your office address, it’s not a big deal

 **Laura (7:15a.m.):** Fine

 **Laura (7:16a.m.):** But I’m just doing it cause it’s really close to the drugstore

 **Carmilla (7:16a.m.):** Don’t sweat, cutie

 

**+++**

 

After walking a couple of blocks, Carmilla was facing the door of the 307 office.

 

“I Do Wedding Planning?” Carmilla snorted “What a dork name” she knocked on the door and waited. She didn’t hear any sound at all. “Laura, are you there?” she shout out.

 

She tried the door and it was unlocked. She opened it and stepped inside.

 

“Somebody has clearly a thing for peachy” she said under her breath. Walking a little further she looked all around the place, not a single sight of Laura or any one for that matter. “Laura! Cupcake, where are you?”

 

“In here” she heard a muffled voice coming from another door. She approached the source of the sound hovering her ear near it.

 

“Laura, is that you?” she said to the door.

“Yeah, come in” Laura said on the other side.

“Alright, I coming in” Carmilla opened the door and faced a very defeated Laura sat on the floor, back leaned on the wall, hands holding her hair up.

“This morning sickness is killing me” she whined.

“I got the medicine” Carmilla said showing a white paper bag, sitting by Laura’s side.

“I’m disgusting” Laura said with Carmilla proximity, letting her hair down.

“I don’t mind” Carmilla kept a sympathetic smile on her face. Laura took a deep breath and dropped her head over Carmilla shoulder.

“My doctor said this can last for the first trimester. Can you imagine it?” she gave a sad laugh “I’m glad Lafontaine is covering things for me. I didn’t think we would need someone so early in my pregnancy.”

“How long are you on?”

“Five weeks. There are 35 more until the delivery day, which I can’t even imagine how will be, I just…”

“One step at the time, Cupcake” Carmilla took one of the Laura’s hands and held it between her hands “First you beat morning sickness and whatever is bugging you in this period.”

“My boobs are sore too. A little bit worst every day.”

“Well, I can ask my boss if there is something for that too.”

“Would you really ask your boss about sore boobs?” Laura chuckled a bit.

“Why not? It’s a natural process of the human reproduction. Right?”

“I can’t believe how you can be so up front.”

Carmilla shrugged “Life is short” she opened the bag and took one small plastic bottle that looked like a test tube with an amber colored liquid. “Here, take this.”

Laura took the strange bottle from Carmilla’s hand and held it in front of her face. “This looks really disgusting. Are you sure it’s going to help me?”

“That’s what the old man said. He is usually right about those things.”

“Well, here goes nothing” Laura pulled the cap of the small bottle and drank all of the liquid content in one gulp, holding her breath all along. “Well…” Her nasty expression turned into a pleasant one. “This is kind of good.” She licked her lips, tasting the remained drops on her mouth “I’m already feeling better.”

“Told you” Carmilla gave her a smirk. “There is some more in here, I think this will last for a week at least.”

“Thank you so much, Carm” Laura gave Carmilla’s hand a squeeze. “You saved my life aga-“

 

The violent sound of a door banging startled Laura and Carmilla. They looked at the narrow space between the door and the doorframe, noticing 2 figures passing by. Then, they looked at each other.

 

“Why are you so upset about it, Perry?” it was Lafontaine voice coming from the office.

“You know why, Lafontaine!” said Perry in an angry tone.

 

Carmilla stood up, letting the bag over the sink in her way to approach the door, Laura was right after her.

 

“She was just been nice to me, there is nothing wrong about it.”

Carmilla was almost turning the bathroom door wide open when Laura grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

 

“I’m very familiar with that woman second intentions, you should see what she has done with Laura the last year, and she was very aware of Laura’s commitment with Danny.”

 

Laura now was the one going to the door with a dreadful face, but Carmilla held her this time, pulling her by her shoulders. They exchanged questioning looks but kept peeking the pair discussing on the other room through the small door gap.

 

“Don’t you think you are exaggerating a bit?” Lafontaine tried to reasoned.

“She cornered Laura over the cactus aisle once and tried to kiss her.”

 

Carmilla held a laugh while looking at Laura’s horrified expression.

 

“If she is so obnoxious why do you still make business with her?” Lafontaine asked with their arms open in the air before Perry, who was right in front of the sofa.

“She is the only decent flower supplier from this area, we tried to find someone who could have good product and who would deliver on time, but she is the only one, unfortunately.” She pressed her hands firmly over her waist, shooting a defeated glare at her assistant.

“So” they crossed their arms and shrugged “if Laura can deal with her advances, so can I”. Lafontaine stepped closer to Perry, eyes firms on their boss.

“It’s not the same thing” Perry made an upset face, also crossing her arms.

Lafontaine shortened their distance, bumping their arms with Perry’s. “Why not?”

“You know why” Perry downed her eyes. Lafontaine uncrossed their arms, raising their right hand to touch Perry’s chin, lifting her face to meet their eyes.

“I’ll make sure to avoid the cactus aisle, Perry.”

“You better” Perry gave Lafontaine a light shove on their shoulder. Lafontaine laughed and pulled Perry’s face to their own, giving her a soft kiss.

 

Laura tightened her grip on Carmilla’s arm. They looked at each other with widened eyes then back to the couple on the other side of the door. They were not sure where to look anymore.

 

Perry’s and Lafontaine kiss got more intense and soon they were making out in full mode. But when Perry pulled them to the blue sofa, Laura closed her eyes, turning her face to the side dragging Carmilla with her to the very back of the bathroom.

 

“I can’t believe them” Laura said whispering, still astonished by her last vision. Carmilla only made a silent sign, bringing her index finger to the front of her mouth. Laura raised her fist in a silent but frustrated gesture.

 

They waited there for a few more minutes, just breaking their stillness after the sound of a closing door. They looked at each other again and Carmilla was the first to come closer to the gap. She could not see anybody in sight, so she opened the door slowly, looking at her surroundings. There was no one there. She sighed relieved.

 

“What the hell was that?” Laura started to pace around the office.

“I knew something was going on between them” Carmilla acted like she won some kind of child game.

“You knew that and you didn’t say anything?” Laura gave Carmilla panic eyes.

“I didn’t know, know. I was just suspicious” she explained. “You know, heart eyes and everything since day 1?”

“This can’t be happening, we can’t… we will need to find to a new assistant and…”

“Slow down, Cupcake.” Carmilla touched Laura’s shoulders. “Take a deep breath before jumping to any conclusion.”

“I’m not jump to anything, Carmilla you saw what just happened. They are having an affair, or dating, or just sleeping together, I don’t know, but that can’t be good for business.”

Carmilla went to the break corner and started to open the cabinets and drawers, looking for some specific things.

“You don’t know that, Laura. Maybe it can work out.” Carmilla said over her shoulder.

“On really, do you think that? They were fighting over the flower girl, it’s already affecting work.” Laura sat on the couch. Then, after a second thought, she was up again, pacing around the fluffy rug.

 

After a short moment of silent, Carmilla approached and gave her a Tardis mug with cocoa.

 

“Thank you” Laura said taking the mug from Carmilla’s hand, her expression a little bit softer. “For that and the medicine. I’m feeling really better”.

“Who is this girl, by the way? The one who tried to kiss you?” Carmilla had this playful smile on her face, with one brow raised.

“How is that important now?”

“I’m just curious. Is she hot?”

“She is my version of your blond Ruby Rose.” Laura said after a long sip. Carmilla just nodded her head slowly.

 

**+++**

 

The day passed like the hours were been dragged through time. Carmilla was not too worried about the “thing” between Perry and Lafontaine at first. But after hours lying on her bed with no sleep, she was kind of furious with her friend. How could they screw things on their brand new job was not the problem, she really didn’t care. But she was furious that their action would affect Laura pretty hard. She would certainly fight with Perry, and this could damage their partnership pretty bad. And her, Carmilla, was the one who told them about the job. She felt a little bit guilty too. Laura would hate her, eventually. Of course she would.

 

She could not sleep with all of those thoughts in her head, getting worst by the hour. _Will this day ever end?_

 

Things were much harder for Laura. She had to deal with the standard stress of the wedding day, her pregnancy annoyances, and on top of all of that, she had to hide her rage from her friend and from her assistant. The worst part, they were acting like nothing ever happened in the morning. They were being very professional and efficient, what made things even more confusing for Laura. _How could they pull that off?_

 

And certainly Perry and Lafontaine noticed Laura twitchiness and uneasy state. But they assumed that could be the result of the pregnancy hormones working on Laura’s nerves. Perry knew how Laura had changed since she got the positive result. Her mood swings were an everyday thing now. Maybe today, with being the WDay, Laura was suffering even more. So, they made sure to be extra nice with her.

 

When the day was finally over, Laura was repeating on her mind a long speech she knew by heart. Perry really needed to give her some explanations. Not, big. Huge. Life changing explanations. She got home first, so she paced around the living room while Perry was coming from her truck. When the door was open, Perry could see that her friend expression has shifted.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was not sure if she had slept at all. Probably not. It’s was around 8 of the night when she heard that Lafontaine came in from work. She took a deep breath and went straight to their kitchen, which was right by the door entrance. She saw Lafontaine placing their things over the kitchen table, with a pleased smile on their face. Carmilla was using her smirk, her voice a bit sarcastic and harsh.

“So, are you banging your boss, Lafonsex?”

“What?”

 

**++**

 

“Laura, we need to talk.”

“Oh, hell we need.”

 

**++**

 

“Is she uptight like that in bed too, or is she more wild and fun?”

“Wow, where is this coming from?”

 

**++**

 

“So?”

“It’s better if we take a seat, don’t you think”?

 

**++**

 

“Maybe she is both, like hot and could…”

“Carmilla, please, stop.”

 

**++**

 

“I don’t need to sit. Spill out.”

“Well…”

 

**++**

 

“I bet she is like a sexy librarian, you know?”

“Fuck off, Carmilla!”

“Oh, so you haven’ slept yet? What are you waiting? To Laura give birth first so you don’t feel any guilty?

“Who told you this?”

“Nobody told me anything! I saw you together in their office this morning”

“How…? Were you spying on me?”

“I was in the bathroom with Laura, she was sick and I was helping her when you entered fighting about the horny florist.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What is going on, Laf? This can really hurts Laura.”

“You are only concerned about her, huh? Your precious Cupcake.”

 

**++**

 

“You and Lafontaine…”

“We are moving in together, Laura.”

“What?”

 

**++**

 

“She _**is**_ the one getting hurt in this process, ginger snap.”

“Things are not like that Carmilla.”

“How come?”

“We are in love. Yeah, that’s right, Vampira. _**I**_ love Perry. And she loves _**me**_.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the detency to skip words, if that happen, please say in the comments. Also, do you think this story is too weird? Does it make sense to you?  
> Thanks.


	6. Real Life Adjustments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They all need to talk. Laura and Carmilla shared another emotional moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the fastest chapter ever written in the history. Typos might be part of it.

**Chapter 6 – Real Life Adjustments**

 

One of the most valuable things Perry learned from her mother was this statement: A clean place it's a happy place. That’s why it was always so important for her to start her day with her clean routine. It makes her feel so much better, see everything in its proper place, surfaces with no sight of dust, fabrics smelling like flowers, the nice touch of a fresh towel. And what could make things even better? A belly full of baked sweets.

 

But, when Laura was looking with agony eyes for her, Perry couldn’t think of anything she could do to make things better. She knew no cleaning would be enough. There would be not enough trays of cookies in the world to fix that. Laura was angry and she knew she had a good reason to be. But also, she didn’t. Perry had everything under control. She just needed a way to show her friend how.

 

“Laura, sweetie, can you please sit for a bit?” Perry asked Laura with pleaded eyes.

“I’m really fine standing here. What the hell is going on with you Lola Perry?” Laura crossed her arms and kept her stiff position.

“I’m worried about you, Laura, this can’t be good for your baby, please take a sit.” Perry gestured for the couch.

“If you were really worried about me you would not be making out with our assistant.” She took her hand to her forehead “What if they sue us?”

“Making out?” Perry made a concerned face. “You saw us in the kitchen this morning?”

“You were kissing here too?” Laura looked around her, eyes widened with every new information.

“Laura, we are not fooling around like 2 teenagers.” She reconsidered “I mean, you were quite right, we did make out, and some other stuff… but that’s not mean we are irresponsible people, that’s for sure.”

“Perry, can’t you see how this is serious?” Laura extended her two hands in Perry’s direction. Her “talking hands” gestures were about to start.

“This is not what you are thinking, Laura.”

“It’s not? You mean that you are head over hills for our assistant, a person you had met 2 weeks ago, it’s that right?”

“Yes. That’s why I told you we are going to live together. Lafontaine and me. We love each other, Laura.”

“But how…” Laura finally sat on the couch “Two weeks, Perry. How?”

“I don’t know Laura. I can’t explain love. What I know is that… Lafontaine is my soul mate.” Perry gave Laura her most honest answerer, but Laura was beyond frustration.

“This is…Perry, no. You can’t be seriously saying to me, that you think you are living a fairy tale.”

“I don’t think, Laura. I know.” Perry sat by Laura’s side, her features turning to a more serious manner.

“How can you know? How can you know for sure, really? Have you ever been in love before?” Laura used a very condescending tone, she tried reasoned Perry by her own experience. For Laura, Perry was suffering of some kind of temporary blindness. Nobody could fall that fast.

“I have not. But I know what I feel, Laura. And they know too.”

“Perry… you can’t be serious… two weeks?”

“Why can’t you believe this is possible? You have loved before, you know how this feels, you can’t help it.”

“Yes, Perry, I know how this feels. It took months for me to fall for Danny. And years before we moved in together. But it was just a matter of days for everything to fall apart.” It hurted for Laura to admit that, how love could be so fragile. It happened with her, it should not happen with Perry too. How could her friend not see this?

“You can’t compare you and Danny with me and Lafontaine. It’s not the same thing.” Perry was seeing where Laura was going, and that’s why it was so hard for her to explain things. Laura still had fresh love wounds.

“That’s all I know about love, Perry. Me and Danny. What else can I say?” And then again. Laura felt defeated, ashamed and hopeless. She didn’t like that, but she was willing to open up with Perry. Because, it was Perry after all.

“Well, you should pay more attention to the people around you.” 

“What do you mean?”

“You think we are the only people who fall this fast, Laura?” Perry was not sure if she should take this road, but Laura was being impossible.

“You are the only one I know.”

“Always in oblivion.”Perry rolled her eyes. Somethings never change.

“This is the second time you said something like that to me. What are you insinuating?”

“That you should pay more attention.”

“Yeah, I did notice your googly eyes for each other, but I would never think this is… you know, love!”

“So, you noticed. It’s not something that came out of thin air.” Perry smile with conviction.

“But Perry, don’t you think this is just your wish to be in love with someone? You have waited this for so long… maybe it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.” Laura was going everywhere, something would make sense eventually.

“Laura, when I met Lafontaine I felt this incredible connection with them. It was like I have known them my entire life. And when we talked and we were moving your things, it was like… it felt like a natural part of my life. It felt right, like a routine we do every day. But that was the very first time we fell eyes on each other.”

 

Perry’s words were finally sinking in Laura. She still thought about what else she could say to convince her friend about the huge mistake she was about to make, but she could not deny how Perry’s confidence was strong. And Perry continued.

 

“And then when we were alone, I felt the air pulling me to them, like a magnetic force making us united. And they felt the exactly same thing. So I can’t explain it to you any other way, Laura. It’s just something so powerful and strong. When I’m with them I feel like I’m in a safe place I’ve never been before. Like home. I think that’s the most accurate one. It feels like I’m finally in home after a long time.” And that’s all Perry had. Her sincere words about her feelings.

“I’m glad for you to feel like that Perry. I really am. But if something change? People fight and…” 

“Laura, this is the real thing. Of course people can change, and there is a risk to our company, I’m not going to deny that. But I trust Lafontaine, like I trust you. So the risk it’s the same for everything in life. Nothing is really safe.”

“Perry, I’m just worried that we can lose all that we have worked for. It was so hard to get in here. You know that.” Laura knew Perry’s mind was made. But this whole thing was not just about her. It was much more.

“I know Laura. And I know this is hard. All I can do is to ask you to trust me on that. If I’m wrong and all of this blows in my face, I’ll be working twice as hard to make everything the way they were before. But I am sure, that this won’t be the case.”

“I hope you are right, Perry.” Said a defeated Laura.

 

**+++**

 

In another apartment, not very far from Laura’s and Perry, another pair of friends was still fighting about the craziest love declaration ever.

 

“Carmilla, Perry is the real thing. The end game.” Lafontaine announced after their love declaration. 

“Seriously? How can you know that?” Like Laura, Carmilla was not buying her friend explanation. But something was not the same.

“Carmilla you know me. I thought you would have a little more faith in me before jumping in my throat.”

“So you love her?” It was like Carmilla was finally hearing Lafontaine’s words this time.

“And she loves me. I didn’t know how that feels, dude, but it’s amazing. It’s the best feeling in the universe. She loves me.” Lafontaine lost their gave to the ceiling, their body lazily throw on the couch, arms open and stretched to their sides, a goofy silly smile on their face.

“Oh, I’m sorry Laf.” Carmilla was convinced. She never had seen her friend like that. It was not really hard to understand what they feel. 

“It’s alright. I know you are been like this cause you like her… Laura?” They looked at Carmilla with playful eyes.

“Of course I like her, she’s my friend.” And then it was there again, Carmilla’s poker face.

“Ah, friend? I know she is more than that.”

“How can you know this in so little time?” Carmilla didn’t want to talk about Laura, but she was really interested in her friend findings.

“We have this connection. I thought that the fact she is my boss would make thinks weird, but no. On the contrary.” They explained like it was some kind of lab experience, concentration deep in their eyes. “When I look at her, I can sense what she is feeling, so it’s easier to know what she needs or what I have to do. We have this tune, it’s just perfect.” They looked at Carmilla and smiled “Yeah, I know this sounds corny and lame, but we were meant for each other. And I just want to make her happy.”

“But you are so different, I don’t get it.” Carmilla shook her head. It’s not like she could not accept her friend’s feelings, she was just trying to make sense of that in her head. Love was always so complicated for Carmilla, and with Lafontaine and Perry story, it just gave her even more questions.

“Well, not so much. We like the same things, like music and to create new things, like systems to organizing things and some other stuff. But what is the most excited is that she has like her own things, the things that she likes but I don’t know. And then she shows me new things and they become my favorite things too. And vice and versa.” Carmilla could not quite follow her friend line of thought, but it didn’t matter anyway.

“I’m happy for you, Lafontaine. But I’m still worried things can get messy at work. You know, like the fighting of this morning.”

“That was a silly moment of jealously from Perry. The flower supplier flirts with everybody.”

“Talking about her… how she looks like? Is she pretty?” Carmilla tried to sound aloof. She tried.

“Are you concern about her thing for Laura?” They showed Carmilla they playful smile again. They loved to tease Carmilla about Laura.

“I’m just curious.” Carmilla shrugged, she knew how lame she was being, but…  
“Right. Yes, she is pretty. Very pretty. With amazing legs. I think she works out. Like a lot.”

“I hate you.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Perry sat on the couch for a few minutes of awkward silence. They both tried their best to convince the other. But it was finally the moment to recognize the end of it. Laura knew she had to say something.

 

“So, you are going to moving in?” 

“Yes. In one week.”

“That’s really fast too.”

“Laura, please.”

“I know, I know” She raised her hands in sign of surrender and nodded her head. “Where are you going to live?”

“Well, here” Perry gesture with her hands to her apartment, like it was the obvious conclusion. Laura raised one eye.

“But I’m still living here.”

“There is no problem, Laura. You can stay here whenever you want. I meant that when I said it.”

“Perry this place is a mess with my things, if Laf comes too, I…”

“We are going to solve this, sweetheart, don’t worry. Laf and I will create a system to arrange everything in this place. And buy more shelves and cabinets. We’ll be fine, you will see.”

“I don’t want to be on your way, Perry. I should get my own place, it’s about time.”

“No Laura, you can stay. No, you have to.” Perry held Laura’s hand “We can take proper care of you, here. I don’t think it’s good for you to be alone after your break up and with a baby…”

“Perry, the baby hasn’t born yet, I’ll be fine by myself.”

“Oh yeah? When was the last time you lived alone Laura?”

“Well..” Laura tried to put some thought on the matter, but it was just for nothing.

“Never.” Perry said cutting her thoughts (or the lack of it). “You never lived by yourself. After your father’s house you had roommates at college, then me, then Danny, then me again.”

“It’s time for me to be an adult, don’t you think? I’m 27.”

“And you still recite Harry Potter, sweetie.” Perry patted Laura’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, we will be fine.”

No cupcake or hot chocolate could fix their problems. But Perry was confident that honesty was the key.

 

**+++**

 

 **Laura (09:41p.m.):** They are in love!

 **Carmilla(09:42p.m.):** I know

 **Laura (09:43p.m.):** This is crazy, right?

 **Carmilla(09:43p.m.):** Right. But also true, I think

 **Carmilla (09:44p.m.):** What happens now?

 **Laura (09:45p.m.):** They are going to moving in together… in here!

 **Carmilla (09:45p.m.):** I’m sorry, Cupcake

 **Laura (09:46p.m.):** I guess we have another moving day

 **Carmilla (09:46p.m.):** I guess so

 **Carmilla (09:49p.m.):** Are you feeling better?

 **Laura (09:50p.m.):** yes, thank you

 **Carmilla (09:51p.m.):** You are always welcome, Laura

 **Carmilla (09:52p.m.):** Good night

 **Laura (09:52p.m.):** Good night Carm

 

**+++**

 

The next morning was awkward. When Laura and Perry arrived at the office, Lafontaine was already there, talking to suppliers and organizing some files. Last night Laura talked more with Perry about their rules in the office. And also, they should sign a document describing the nature or their relationship. Perry was taking care of this with their lawyer. Laura was still not 100% on board with all of this, but she promised to give a vote of faith in her partner and best friend.

 

“So, there will be a little delay with some decorations for the Hanson wedding, but the venue guy said they could wait one more day.” Lafontaine said in a fast speed, not making eye contact with their bosses, keeping their eyes over their phone.

“What about the flowers, it’s on it’s way?” Asked Perry, making a very serious face.

“Yes, Donna said all will be there by this afternoon” They answered right away. Laura rolled her eyes, uncrossing her arms and pulling Perry and Lafontaine by their hands to stand in front of her.

“Listen. I get it, you want to be professional.” They both raised their eyes to meet Laura’s. “But you don’t need to act like robots around me.”

Lafontaine turned their head slight to look at Perry, who mirrored the motion. After a beat, they looked back at Laura, like two embarrassing kids.

“Lafontaine, you have to sign a document saying you are willing starting a commitment relationship with Perry, resigning your rights to sue the company in case something goes wrong with your relationship. It’s that okay with you?”

“Yes, fine by me” they said nodding to Laura, looking at Perry for a brief second again.

“I know you both can behave properly around me, but I have to reinforce that you must keep this same attitude before our clients and suppliers. Do you understand me?”

They both nodded to Laura.

“And no disclosure of the nature of your relationship for them too. For all of the purposes you are colleagues, a boss and their employee. I’m clear?”

Another synced nod to Laura.

“Good.” Laura crossed her arms again with a satisfy smile. Perry and Lafontaine relaxed a bit. “Oh, one more thing.” Laura regained her serious face “Do not discuss your relationship issues in the office, even if nobody is in here. You never know.” The ashamed faces were back. “And never, ever again, make out on our couch.”

 

They faces turned to a deep red and Laura almost laughed, but she just coughed and masked her amusement. “Aside from that, you can do whatever you want.” She sighed feeling a bit relaxed herself “I really wish all the best for you.” She gave them another sympathetic smile before turn to her desk to begin her working day.

 

On the following days things were still a little bit strange around the three colleagues. Perry and Lafontaine were getting less rigid every day, but they still felt a bit awkward around Laura. She knew it would be a matter of time before they were back to the way they were in the first weeks. The most strange moments were after the work hours, when they were leaving the office and Lafontaine was not sure if they could give their hand to Perry on their way out. The couple went on dates most days, while Laura rode alone to the apartment. Even though they behave like professionals when working, they could not help the affection stares they gave to each other. Laura felt happy for Perry, but also a little depress. It remanded of her moments with Danny, and she was missing that, to feel like that. In love.

 

What helped her to distract from this moments was work, and her talks with Carmilla. She was not sure why, but every time she talked with Carmilla she felt happier. She thought it was because Carmilla was a very funny person. Laura loved her sense of humor, even though it was a little dark and sometimes even dirty. She could easily blush with some of Carmilla’s snarky comments, sometimes in the most inappropriate moments around clients.

 

But only on the weekend, when it was a moving day again, she noticed another thing on Carmilla. She didn’t know how she never noticed this before, but Carmilla was kind of rude and aloof around people in general. Maybe because most of the time she spent with Carmilla they were alone, so there would be no way for her to notice this before anyway.

 

The moving was a little bit simpler than the last one. Lafontaine only had their clothes and some books to move. It was not too much, but enough to turn Perry’s apartment crowded. And the following days were even worst. Perry was trying her very best to be the same person around Laura, making her breakfast, helping doing her laundry, cooking dinner. But Lafontaine was there too, still not feeling comfortable to display their affection for Perry, even out of office hours.

 

Laura was the third wheel. And she felt awful about it. Every time Laura tried to talk with Perry about moving out, she was dismissed of the idea. Laura started to look for a new place, without Perry knowledge. But everything was way expensive or too far away from her work. She didn’t want to spend her savings for a new place, it was meant for the baby arrival, that would happen in around 33 weeks. Suddenly she realized she lost one import appointment. Her 6 weeks first ultrasound. She felt like an idiotic. With all the office forbidden love and wedding drama, she totally forgot her tiny human priorities. It was too late to call for her doctor, so she scheduled her phone agenda for the next morning. _Worst mother ever._

Laura got another appointment for Wednesday morning, in two days. Perry would come with her, she didn’t want to do it by herself. The first ultrasound was important for many reasons. She would know if the baby was developing according with their age and be able to listen to their heartbeat. She was feeling excited and scared at the same time. She even texted Carmilla about her first ultra sound. Carmilla wished her all the best.

 

**+++**

 

On Wednesday morning, Laura was awakened by a nervous Perry.

 

“Laura, honey, wake up!”

“I’m up” Laura growled with closed eyes.

“Honey, I need to solve an emergency, there was a flood on the venue for the Hanson wedding, Lafontaine and I are going there to solve this, okay?”

“Yeah..” Laura said still sleepy. “I’m coming.”

“No, Laura, you have your doctor’s appointment. I can’t come with you I’m sorry.”

Laura looked at her clock, it was really early, so she went back to sleep, her brain still not processing what just happened yet.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla shift just ended when she checked out her last book report. She was not sure why, but the numbers of downloads were increasing rapidly. Not just the third book, but all the other from Mircalla series as well. She decided to google her author name to see if something was up. She found a couple of book reviews, one of them in a sort of popular YouTube channel. She saved the links to watching at home when she saw a wedding ad on her screen. She remembered Laura’s ultrasound appointment, so she decided to text her a good luck message.

 

 **Carmilla(07:15a.m.):** Good luck on your ultrasound, Cupcake.

 

She pushed her phone back to her pocket and started her walk to home. Her apartment was quieter than the normal after Lafontaine move out. The first couple of days Carmilla kind of liked the sensation of freedom and peace. She could walk around the place naked, leave the dishes to be cleaned on the next day, not care about where she dropped her clothes or just lay lazily on the couch to read a book and not have to hear the TV on the background.

 

But after the third day, she felt more bore than the usual. It was too quiet. Too empty. A couple of months ago, maybe it would be fun to have the place just for herself, but that feeling was gone. Everything changed after Laura. Her phone buzzed and rang. She checked what would probably be a text from Laura.

 

 **Cupcake(07:20a.m.):** Thanks, Carm :)

 **Cupcake(07:21a.m.):** Unfortunatelly I’ll be there on my own. Perry went to deal with a crap wedding emergency

 

Carmilla stood still on her way home. What if?

 

 **Carmilla(07:22a.m.):** I can come with you, if you want to

 **Cupcake(07:23a.m.):** I don’t want to disturb your sleep time again

 **Carmilla(07:23a.m.):** My sleep time is already mess up, not thanks to you

 **Carmilla(07:24a.m.):** And it’s my day off anyway. No problem at all

 

Carmilla lied. She would work latter at her next shift, but Laura didn’t need to know that.

 

 **Cupcake(07:25a.m.):** Are you sure I’m not going to interrupt anything?

 **Carmilla(07:26a.m.):** Yes. And I’m your friend, don’t worry. This is what friends are for, right?

 

Maybe Carmilla was more inclined to justify herself than Laura. But they were friends, it was all they could be for now. So, why don’t just act on it like a friend?

 

 **Cupcake(07:27a.m.):** Ok! Meet me on my place? I’ll leave in 15 minutes.

 **Carmilla(07:27a.m.):** I’m on my way ;)

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla felt this strange sensation while Laura was driven them to the clinic. She was used to the happiness she always felt around Laura, but in this moment, riding with her by her side, going to a doctor’s appointment, it felt like they were doing an ordinary activity a couple would do. She tried to brush the feeling out, it was not the time to let her romantic feelings take the best of her. Even though she could not help the glances she gave Laura every now and then, in her mind she was sure she was acting just like a friend.

 

When they arrived at the clinic, Carmilla noticed how Laura was smiling, it was a mix of happiness and sadness.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Carmilla asked while they walked to the reception. 

“Yeah, I’m just nervous.” Laura was fidget with her purse strap. Carmilla pated Laura’s shoulder. They both stopped their walk. “This is the very first time I’m going to see my tiny human and I don’t know if they are okay or not, and I had wine on the second week and maybe they are not okay because of that and if we can’t hear the heartbeat…”

“Hey, hey” Carmilla’s hand extended to Laura’s shoulder, brushing comforting circles. Her face was just a few inches closer to Laura’s. “Laura, everything is going to be alright, ok? Just breathe.” She said with a soft tone.

 

Laura nodded her head, not able to say anything. She was overwhelmed by all or her emotions, hormones and guilt thoughts. A few tears rolled from her eyes. Carmilla wanted to kiss every tear away from her face. But she just shook that thought out and hugged Laura, bring her all the comfort she needed. Laura hugged Carmilla back, burying her face on her shoulder. After a couple of deep breaths, Laura stepped out from the hug and gave a warm smile to Carmilla.

“I’m feeling better now.” She cleaned the tears with her hands “Thank you so much for coming with me.”

“Anytime, Cupcake.” Carmilla gave Laura another light pat before they resume their way back to the reception.

Carmilla sat on the waiting room while Laura talked with the receptionist.

 

“Hi, Lucy, how are you?” Laura said with her happy tone back.

“Hi Laura. I’m great. What about you?” replied cheerfully the receptionist.

“I’m doing great too.” Laura tried her best to hide her recent moment of despair. “I’m here for my 8:10 ultrasound appointment.”

“Right! Just let me search for your file and the nurse will call you soon.”

“Thank you! I’ll have to wait here or on that rear waiting room? I never know where they are going to call me.” She pointed to the row of chairs where Carmilla was waiting.

“Yes, you can wait right here. Dr. Gibbs will be performing the exam.” Laura nodded to Lucy, smiling again. “By the way” Lucy said changing her expression to something more casual. “Is that brunet your girlfriend? You’re a very lucky girl.”

“Oh, no.” Laura glanced at Carmilla before looking the receptionist again. “She just my friend Carmilla.”

“Is she single?” Lucy said staring at Carmilla, not paying attention to the puzzled face of Laura.

“I actually don’t know” Laura squinted her eyes, thinking about Carmilla’s relationship status. They never talked about it.

“You know what, never mind” Lucy said, getting out of her dazzle. “This is not really appropriated. She is probably straight, anyway.” She looked expectantly to Laura, waiting for any confirmation or denial.

“Okay, I’ll be waiting there. Thank you.” Laura said with a high pitchy voice, giving a kind of Perry-style smile to the receptionist. She didn’t know why, but she didn’t answer Lucy’s question. All she knew she felt this strange sensation at the pit of her stomach. Yes, Lucy was been a little impropriated.

 

When she sat at the chair by Carmilla’s side, her friend was giving her a smirk smile. Sometimes she just hated when Carmilla did that.

“So” Carmilla said in her disinterested tone “I have the impression that you and your receptionist friend over there were talking about me.”

“Why do you think that?” Laura used again her high pitch startled voice.

“Because you two were shamelessly looking at me.”

“Oh” Laura cleaned her throat before continue “she thought you were Danny.” Carmilla frowned a little annoyed.

“Yeah, cause all the time people confuses me with a 6 feet tall red hair.”

“Danny never came here, so she just assumed you were her.” Laura shrugged. After a beat, Laura looked intrigued at Carmilla. “Have you met Danny?”

“I gave her your prescription pills on the drugstore” Carmilla wanted to mention how Danny was rude to her that day, but decided to let it go.

“Right.” Laura nodded and faced her lap. She looked up at Lucy and noticed the receptionist looking away right after Laura caught her staring at Carmilla again. “Are you single?”

 

The question came almost by itself. Laura was not really thinking too much when her mouth took control over her actions. But she was really curious. She knew Carmilla was a lesbian, but that’s all. Did she have a girlfriend? Yeah, she was just curious. Carmilla looked at Laura again, not sure where that came from.

 

“It’s just…”Laura tried to find a reasonable motive for the question. “We never talked about it.” She also realized most of the time they talked a lot about her, but not much about Carmilla. She felt a little self absorbed and selfish.

“Yes. I am.” Carmilla said in a serious tone, to not let any doubt about it. _Why Laura is concerned about this now?_. She looked at the receptionist again, then it all made sense for her. Her smirk smile was back. 

“Are you seeing someone?” Laura was not sure why she was so intrigued about this. Maybe it’s because she just realize how little she knew about Carmilla.

“No.”

“Not even a crush?”

Carmilla laughed. “No, Cupcake. No crush, no girlfriend or wife. Nada.”

“What about a secret fiancé?” Laura laughed too.

“You got me there.” Carmilla shook her head and their goodtime was interrupted by the nurse calling the name Laura Hollis.

 

Inside the exam room, the nurse pointed Laura the exam bed, instructing her to take off her bottoms and lay there to wait for the doctor. As soon as the nurse was out, Carmilla felt a little out of place.

 

“I can wait outside while you get undressed.” Carmilla said pointed to the door to leave the room.

“No.” Laura held Carmilla by her wrist. “Just make sure anyone open the door while I’m getting half naked. These doors have no lock.”

“Alright” Carmilla said nodding, her cheeks a little red. She placed herself in front of the office’s door, holding the door knob.

In less than a minute Laura took her shoes, her suit pants and her underwear. She folded her clothes over an empty chair and climbed into the bed, using the white sheets to cover her half naked body.

 

“All done” she said still adjusting herself on the bed. It was not an easy task, that thing was not made to be comfortable.

Carmilla left her position in front of the door, facing Laura again. She stood by Laura’s side looking at the monitors.

“I thought you didn’t have to be half naked for this procedure. Don’t they just throw a cold gel over your belly to see the baby?”

“Not in this stage. The fetus is too small for that kind of exam. This is called the transvaginal ultrasound, it’s the best to see the baby in the first trimester, or 12 weeks.”

Carmilla realized she knew almost nothing about pregnancies and babies, maybe it was time for her to make some research. Something serious, not just Google. “You are like 6 weeks now, right?”

“Yes. Six weeks and a half.” Laura was glad Carmilla was counting the weeks too. Not even Perry knew that.

 

The door was open and a half age woman with white scrubs came by.

 

“Hello, I’m Doctor Helena Gibbs. I’ll be performing your exam today, Ms. Hollis.”

“Hello!” Laura gave a gently smile to the doctor.

“Doctor Collins is performing a labor, so I’m replacing him.” The woman had a kind tone on her voice, which made Laura feel less nervous about the absence of her doctor. She was looking at Laura’s file when she approached the bed. 

“Ok.” Laura said placing her hands at each side of the bed. She didn’t notice she clenched them into fists.

Carmilla was once again feeling a little out of place, even though the doctor gave her a nod after greeting Laura.

“I’m going insert the probe, this will be fast, we just need to make sure the baby have the right development with 6 weeks and a half.”

 

After a few moments they had an image on the machine screen. It was a black circle with a small kind of white circle inside it. The doctor froze the image and gave a few clicks with the mouse.

 

“The fetus has 10 millimeters. It’s the right size” she looked at Laura “It’s this tiny white bubble in here” then pointed to the screen.

“So, they are growing alright?” Laura asked hopefully. She was still concern about the wine and all the stress of the last weeks.

“Yes, they are.” The doctor confirmed with a nod. “Let’s see if we can hear the heartbeat.”

 

The doctor pushed some buttons on the machine and Carmilla noticed how Laura was even more tense. Her fists were buried in the bed, her arms stiffed. As the time passed without a noise, Laura’s right hand grabbed the sheet with a vice like grip, her knuckles was turning white. After some strange sounds from the machine, a fast beating sound came loud and clear.

 

“This is your heartbeat” said the doctor “Wait a minute.”

 

If it was even possible, Laura’s hands were even more tense. Carmilla was feeling uneasy seeing Laura like that, so she extended her own hand, grabbing Laura’s, giving her a firm squeeze. Laura demeanor shifted. Carmilla could feel Laura relaxing before her eyes. Then another noise came out from the machine. Another setting of beats, in a more fast rhythmic this time.

 

“There you go. This is your baby heartbeat” Said the doctor. She looked at the couple of happy faces staring at the screen.

 

Laura eyes were glued at the screen, looking at the fast moving spikes of the heartbeat and the image of tiny bubble who was inside of her. Her tiny bubble. Her tiny human.

 

“We have 150 beats per minute.” The doctor said amused.

“Is that good?” Laura asked still dazzled by the whole experience.

“It’s great!” She answered enthusiastic “This is the right number, it’s perfect.”

 

Laura shed more tears, happy ones this time. Her tiny human was fine. And not just that. She was finally feeling she was expecting a baby for real. It was not just a sign in a pharmacy test or numbers from her blood test. It was there, an image and the sound. Her tiny human was alive and real. Her doctor had said the wine probably did no harm, but Laura could not feel fine about it. But now, everything changed. She felt for the first time that her life would never be the same again. So she squeezed the warm hand holding her, turning her head to face an emotional Carmilla. And her heart was even more full and warm.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the next chapter: Carmilla have a new idea. Another wedding emergency it's on their way, and Carmilla got involved in it somehow.


	7. Dress emergency and Pizzas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla decided to give a step further into Laura's life, leading both of them into an exciting path.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you for the 100 kudos mark! I'm so happy, cause I had so little faith in people's reception of this story. This is not a very usual Carmilla fic and there is much more to add to this and I hope you will like more of this ride. Thank you!

**Chapter 7 – Dress emergency and Pizzas**

 

Carmilla took a deep breath at the vision before her. Every now and then she would come to that place, to remind herself about her life goals: Finish her debts; Save for grad school. But that was not enough anymore. She wanted more. When she held Laura’s hand the other day, she felt another void she needed to fill. Was she really a family person, like Elsie said? She was not sure, but she certainly would do something about it. She took a last look at the old stained “For Sale” sign stuck on her old front yard. She had spent the best moments of her life in that place, surrounded by the love and care of her parents. But it was all a part of the past now.

 

She walked back to her empty apartment, thinking about how closer she was from her primary goal: pay for her student loan. Before her last book, she would probably take 3years to liquidate her debts, but now maybe in 2 years or less. Some famous booktuber found her _Mircalla’s Nights_ series and made a video praising her books. After that, a second youtuber did the same, following the other recommendation. The word spread by social media and day after day the download numbers were increasing frighteningly fast. She was not sure how much she would get from that month, but certain would be much more than the usual 300 or 400 bucks.  
She arrived at her place, throwing her bag over the couch. She stood in front of her bookcase, passing her fingers though book spines. She smiled at the sight of _The Distance_. Even her beloved underrated book was getting some attention. She reminded how Laura talked with so much care about it. Laura. She looked around her cold pale walls. The place would be so much better with Laura in there. _She_ would be so much better with Laura in there. What if?

 

She took her phone and tipped a quick text.

 

**Carmilla(07:20a.m.):** Want to have lunch with me today?

 

She knew Laura would answer a little latter, so she went to bed and set her alarm clock for noon.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was still fighting her morning sickness of the day when she saw Carmilla’s text. She quickly replied.

 

**Laura (08:05a.m.):** Sure! Call you latter.

 

She drank her last bottle of the miracle medicine Carmilla gave her. She really needed to buy more latter. When she arrived at the office, Lafontaine and Perry were already there. Lately they were dealing with the Hart-Johnson wedding, their first all female couple ever. They had a couple of male pairs since they begun, and they (specially Laura) were eager to have the very first lesbian wedding in the I Do Wedding Planning (they didn’t like to use the “gay wedding” or “lesbian wedding” labels, but they listened a lot of that terms around the suppliers – a wedding is a wedding, period).

 

“Good morning” Laura greeted her co-workers before sitting in her desk.

“Good morning, sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Said Perry in a very good mood. Lafontaine just raised their hand with a brief wave since they were on the phone.

“I’m great!” Laura showed her sparkling smile “How is the Hart-Johnson for now?”

“Sharon will be here around 3 for the last dress fitting. Rosa’s atelier is getting fumigated today, can you believe it?”

“Two days before the wedding? Yes I do believe.” Laura laughed a little nervous. The strangest things usually happens around the wedding day. She could not be surprised by anything this far.

“She was having rats’ problem” Perry made a terrified face “Can you drive by Rosas’ house at 3 to bring her and everything she will need to make the last adjustments in the dress here?”

“Yes, sure.”

“Me and Lafontaine will be at venue checking the installations.”

“No problem, I have nothing schedule for latter.”

“Great!”

“How many days her place will be closed?”

“Three days. Luckily Patricia’s dress is all set.” Perry smiled at Laura again before standing up to make some hot chocolate.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was leaving the shower when her phone hang. Her heart started to beat faster at the sight of the id.

 

“Hey, Cupcake.” 

“Hey Carmilla! So, lunch, huh?”

“Yes.” Carmilla smiled at the comforting sound of Laura’s voice. Everything about the tiny gay Cupcake made her feel like a silly teenager. “Do you like Chinese?”

“The right question is, can my stomach take Chinese?” Laura said with a playful voice.

“Can it?” Carmilla laid over her stomach on her bed, legs up in the air. 

“Maybe. I need to smell it before I know it.”

“That’s kind of a trick, huh?”

“Yeah… but the idea seems fine. There are some foods I can’t even thing about it.”

“Like what?”

“Like fish… oh no” Laura throat made a strange sound “I told I can’t even think about.”

“Oh, sorry.” Carmilla felt a little embarrassed. “What about pizza?”

“That sounds better.” Laura hummed for a second before speak again “I think my tiny human approves.”

“Ok, I know this place, it’s a bit far, almost in San Diego, but I think you’ll like it.”

“Can’t be too far, I have to be back by three.”

Carmilla checked her clock, it was 1 O’clock.

“We have plenty of time.”

“Okay. Better this pizza taste like heaven”.

“You won’t be disappointed.”

 

Carmilla was waiting for Laura at her office parking lot. They drove 30 minutes to pizza place. Laura mainly talked about how Lafontaine was being the best assistant ever and like Perry seemed so much happy lately. When they entered the fairly crowded place, Carmilla waved to the people behind the counter, leading Laura to a table at the very back of the restaurant, by the window. It was a very Italian alike environment, with red and white plaid tablecloth, exposed red brick walls with wood ovens behind the counter along with a variety of smoked sausages and cheeses hanging from the ceiling. A couple of TV sets were playing a random soccer game, getting the attention of a few enthusiastic costumers. There was all kind of group in tables: families, big group of friends, old and young couples (gays and straight), it was a cozy atmosphere.

 

Not long after they sat down, a waiter came to take their order.

“Hello Carmilla!” He said with an honest smile to Carmilla, turning to Laura after “And Carmilla’s friend!”

“Hi, Theo” Carmilla greeted back with an energetic smile “This is Laura, this is her first time in The Darling Mansion.”

“Welcome, Laura!” Theo said with an even bigger smile.

“Thanks!” Laura said shyly.

“Here our menu. Do you want to order your beverages now, or do you need some time to think?”

Carmilla looked to Laura, waiting for her response. Laura squinted her eyes a bit before talk again “I’ll have orange juice, please.”

“Ok. What about you, Carmilla. The usual?”

“No. I’ll have orange juice too. You know, to change things a little bit.” The usual for Carmilla was a beer, but she didn’t want to make Laura feel bad about her alcohol restriction. She constantly said how much she craved for a cup of wine.

“I’ll be right back.” Theo left with another smile.

“I loved this place” Laura said taking a good amount of air in her lungs “The smell is amazing, I can only imagine the taste of the pizza.”

Carmilla was amused by the sparkle in Laura’s eyes. The restaurant was her favorite place to eat and she was afraid Laura would hate it or feel sick by the smell. She never brought any of her dates there. She couldn’t be happier.

“It’s even better, Cupcake.”

“So” Laura opened the menu and only saw the names and description of the pizzas, no picture “What is the big hit around here?”

“I usually have the pepperoni or the 4 cheeses. The cream cheese with sausage is also very good.” She shrugged “They are all good, really.”

Laura hummed “Hum… I think I’ll have the kale with cream cheese. Do you like that one?”

“I never ate any vegetable pizza.”

“You can have some of mine. I really need to eat better for my baby”.

 

Theo came right after with their juice. Laura ordered her kale pizza while Carmilla had her classic pepperoni. After Theo left again, they felt to a moment of silence. It was comfortable for Laura, but Carmilla was feeling uneasy.

 

“So I want to ask you something.” Carmilla said a little nervous.

“Ok.” Laura concentrated in Carmilla again, after one last glance at the place.

“I know things are a little crowded over Perry’s and we don’t know each other this much but… What do you think of being my roommate?”

“Carmilla…” Laura reached for her hand and felt her own tingling a bit with to touch. “I can’t bug you even more. And I need a place for good, you know? With a nursery and everything.”

“It can be just until you find something permanent, you know?” Carmilla caressed Laura’s hand with her thumb. “No Laf and Perry 24/7.”

Laura relaxed with the gesture. “I can’t lie, is not been easy to see their faces for so long.” She sighed “Don’t get me wrong, they are super nice to me, but it’s too much and I’m pretty sure I’m bothering them too.”

“So? Why not?” Carmilla shrugged “I’m used to have a roommate. To be honest, I’m feeling the place a little empty.” She looked and their hands joined over the table “And you will be doing me a favor, cause I’ll have someone to split the rent again.”

“That is true.” Laura followed Carmilla’s gaze. “I’ll think about it.”

 

They were interrupted by the waiter with their pizzas. Laura could feel her saliva forming a river in her mouth. Up close, the pizzas were like a dream coming true, so warm and smelling like heaven. The taste was everything Carmilla promised and even more. She led out a shameless moan after the first bite, closing her eyes with the indescribable pleasure that filled her mouth. Carmilla was paralyzed with the vision, her own mouth hanging open, her hand in middle way with her pizza slice. 

“This is SO GOOD. Oh my god!” 

Carmilla licked her own lips still in awe. Laura did the same for the second bite. And just after that, Carmilla snapped out from her dazzled.

“Apparently someone is having a culinary orgasm in a very public place.” Carmilla raised one eyebrow, her seductive eyes hovering Laura. It was unintentional.

Laura suddenly looked very much aware of her surroundings, her cheeks blushing a bit. “Well” she swallowed her last bite “This is really good, damn it.”

She playfully slapped Carmilla on her shoulder, taking a slice from her friend’s plate. She was almost embarrassed at the new sound she made with the pepperoni pizza.

“I think it’s safer to have these pizzas in a more private place.” Laura said with her eyes still closed.

“They deliver” Carmilla winked and took a slice from Laura’s plate “Hum, not bad.”

“Are you kidding me? This is amazing! The best kale pizza ever! You just don’t ‘not bad’ it!”

Carmilla looked at Laura with a smirk again, holding the words her dirty mind played in a loop. They continued their appreciation to the rest of their pizzas and orange juices, until Laura looked apprehensive to her phone.

“I need to head back.”

“Okay, I’ll ask for the check.” Carmilla gesture for Theo.

“I need to stop by this seamstress house to take her and some of her things, is that okay for you?”

“Sure.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura drove her and Carmilla to seamstress house. Luckily they didn’t have to take too much for the dress last fitting, the bride had lost some pounds before the last fitting (it happens a lot) so it was easy than the opposite option (make the dress larger).

 

Carmilla helped Laura and Rosa to carry the seamstress things (specially her heavy sewing machine) to the office. Rosa was setting her things over the big meeting table behind the couch when Laura’s phone rang.

“Hi! Sharon? Yes, she is here.” Laura’s face was tense “You can’t come today?” she looked terrified to Rosa. “Wait.” She muted the phone. “Hey, Rosa, can you come tomorrow for Sharon’s fitting? She is stuck in JFK airport until really latter today.”

 

“Sorry, kid, but I’ll be really busy tomorrow, I have 3 others bride dresses to fix and no atelier yet. Your client only has now.”

Laura got even more worried. “Hey Sharon, are you sure you can’t take another flight? Rosa can’t see you tomorrow.”

 

While Laura talked to her client over the phone, the seamstress looked curious at Carmilla, who was getting herself a cup of cocoa in the break corner. She approached Carmilla, measuring her toe to head.

“How tall are you? 5’3?” She asked Carmilla.

“Yeah.” Carmilla said a bit taken aback after a sip of her cup. Rosa took another look at Carmilla, walking around her.

“Hey, Ms Laura” Rosa said going in Laura’s direction “Ask if Ms Sharon have a measure tape with her.”

“What? A measure tape?” Laura said confused after a moment.

“Yes, ask her to take her measures, I think we can work it out with your friend.” She pointed at Carmilla “She have the same height and it’s a little bit thinner than Ms Sharon.”

“Sharon, do you happen to have a measure tape with you?” Laura asked hoping for the better, but not really sure if this could be the case.

“What it’s going on?” Carmilla said approaching the pair.

“Brides always carries measuring tapes” Said Rosa in a wised tone. “If was possible, they would carry scales too.”

“Yes!” Laura yelled enthusiastic.

“See?” Rosa shrugged and extended her hand in Laura’s direction “Let me talk to her.” Laura gave her the phone. “Give me a pen and a paper” the women ordered after a beat.

Laura went to her desk and took all Rosa asked. While the seamstress was taking notes, Carmilla approached Laura, with her arms crossed and a confused look at her face.

“What is going on, Cupcake?”

“Carm, would you please do this for me?”

“And what is ‘this’ exactly?”

“Rosa said you seem to have Sharon’s measures, she is the bride of our first all female wedding, but she went to bring her grandmother from NYC and their flight just got delay and she won’t be here in time to make her dress fitting, which is the last and the most important one.”

“You want me to try someone’s wedding dress?” Carmilla said with a disbelieve tone.

“Yes” Laura got closer to Carmilla, taking her hand and squeezing. “Please?” It was the second time Laura touched Carmilla that day, and this time it also felt strangely good.

 

Carmilla tried to look aloof at Laura’s pleading, but she could not deny anything to her Cupcake. She was not a fan of the whole trying clothes routine, she even hated when she had to do it for herself. But for Laura…

“Ok.” She said in a monotone, rolling her eyes.

“Thanks!” Laura giggled and gave Carmilla a kiss on her cheek. She turned in time to miss the blush on Carmilla’s face. “So, got it all?” Laura asked to the seamstress.

“Yes.” Rosa was making a feel notes on the piece of paper. “You pretty lady, come here.” She said making a hand gesture for Carmilla.

 

Carmilla walked and stood by the table where Rosa was gathering her things. She took her own tape and measured Carmilla. First her arms, then her chest, waist, hips and legs. Carmilla was a little stiff, not used to people touching her like that. After writing down Carmilla’s numbers, Rosa turned to Laura.

 

“Your friend is really close to Ms Sharon measures, I’ll have to add just 2 inches in the chest and all be fine.” She opened one plastic box and took a folded white dress from it, handing it to Carmilla. “Go get dress, we have work to do.”

“Yes Ma’am” said Carmilla with a sarcastic tone taking the dress. She was leaving for the bathroom when the seamstress stopped her.

“No, you can’t get dress in the bathroom, you’ll stain the dress.”

Carmilla made a frown “So, where will I get dress?”

Rosa walked until she reached the fluffy white carpet, not setting her feet over it. “In here” she pointed to the carpet .“This is a very safe place for the dress.” Carmilla growled dragging her feet to the white and soft spot. “Take your shoes first, here I’ll help you” she took the dress from Carmilla and placed it on the couch.

 

Carmilla rolled her eyes while she sat at the peach armchair to take her boots. Laura was having a little fun watching Carmilla making her broody face. She finally understood what everybody said about Carmilla before. Why she didn’t ever notice?

 

After she took her boots, Carmilla was looking at the dress a little bit uneasy. “You don’t have to be shy, kid. I see more naked women in a daily basis than a doctor.” Said Rosa.

“I’m not shy” Carmilla said taking her shirt off. She really wasn’t. 

Laura suddenly was feeling herself shy, looking at Carmilla getting undress. She dropped her eyes to look at some needles and threads over the table in front of her. Carmilla noticed Laura’s embarrassment, taking even more time to undress herself, amused by the glances Laura gave her when she thought Carmilla would not notice.

 

After Carmilla was only wearing her panties, Rosa helped her to get in the dress, first the right foot, then the left. The top was a corset, and after a little before the dress were properly adjusted over Carmilla’s chest, Laura gave her another glance, lingering a bit more this time, looking at Carmilla’s toned arms and perky breasts. Laura turned herself all together, feeling her face hotter than ever. _What the hell are doing Laura? Get yourself together._

 

She sat over her desk pretending to look at something on her computer screen, waiting for her face to cool down. _Yes, I knew since forever Carmilla was gorgeous, but I really didn’t expect her to be this hot underneath all of that black fabric._

 

Laura took some deep breaths and even drank the cold cocoa left on her desk. _This got be my hormones doing a number on me again. Yeah, right that’s it. I read somewhere this could happen._

 

“Ms. Laura” called Rosa.

“Yes” Laura answered with her eye still on her screen, her voice cracking. “I’m going.”

She got up from her desk and turned to face the most gorgeous bride she has ever seen. She could feel her jaw dropping at the view.

 

“See? Just a little loose on the chess, but I have to let like that, cause Ms Sharon is a little larger in this area” Rosa’s words almost didn’t reach Laura’s ears.

“Yes, it’s perfect” Laura said in a dazzled tone. Carmilla was having mixed feelings in that moment. Yes, the dress was a bit uncomfortable. Yes, she hated to been pocked by a stranger, standing in the middle of peachy heaven. But the face Laura was making for her, was priceless.

“Will be perfect” the seamstress corrected, measuring her tape around Carmilla’s chest. She attached more 4 pins before finish the adjustment “Alright, you can take it off now.” She said to Carmilla, leaving for the table to get some threads.

Laura was turning herself to go after the seamstress when Carmilla called her “Hey, Cupcake. Mind helping me?” Carmilla was pointing to the zipper on her back.

“Sure” Laura said after turning back, touching Carmilla’s back gently.

“Your hands are really warm” Carmilla said while Laura was unzipping the dress, unconsciously biting her lower lip.

“It’s kind of a warm day” Laura said with a high pitchy tone.

“Of course”. Carmilla could not hold the smile growing on her face.

 

Laura opened the whole zipper, facing the bare skin of Carmilla’s back. She held her impulse to touch the pale and soft skin before her. _Fucking hormones._

 

“I need to pee” Laura said walking to the bathroom, tripping over her own feet.

“Wow, easy, Cupcake” Carmilla said with a smirk, standing still on her place, the dress falling slowly by her body. Laura turned to give her a polite smile when she noticed the dress folding loosing down Carmilla’s body.

“I… I’ll be right back.” She said before reaching the door and entering the bathroom.

Laura closed the door and rested her back on it. _Damn it! How long this is going to take?_

 

After more minutes of dressing and undressing Carmilla, sew ups, pins and more fitting, the dress was done. Laura drove Rosa to her place, with the help of Carmilla getting her things. Latter she drove Carmilla back to her apartment. Carmilla invited Laura to come over. She resisted, but Carmilla said she wanted to show her something.

 

“Can you hear this” she said to Laura after they both entered the place.

“Hear what?” Laura made a confused face.

“Exactly” Carmilla walked slowly passing by Laura and dropping herself on the couch. Laura took a good look at the place. It was a nice place. The kitchen was right by the front door, an island with a sink and a stove, behind a nice set of cupboards, an oven, a large counter and a big fridge. To her left, the living room, with a large brown couch facing a 50 inch led TV, some DVDs and in the far back a big bookcase, filled with books. To her right, after the kitchen was the hall to the bedrooms and the bathroom. She knew Lafontaine room had a decent size, not bigger than Carmilla’s but big enough for her.

“Want to see the spare room again?” Carmilla said getting up from the couch.

“No, I remember.” Laura liked the atmosphere. I was a little messy, some clothes on the floor and the sink… well she guessed Carmilla liked to wash it once in a day “And you called me a hoarder” she pointed at the mess of dishes in the sink and over the counter.

“I was going to take care of that after work” Carmilla explained defensibly.

“Right.” Laura sat on one of the stools at the island. If she could avoid seen Carmilla undressing again, which she was sure would be easy since they have separated rooms and everything, maybe it would be nice to live in here. She always felt comfortable around Carmilla, so, why not?

“And I can cook” Carmilla sat by Laura “Well, eventually. When I’m not tired. But-“

“Yes.” Laura gave her a warm smile. “I’m going to be your roommate. Or better saying, your housemate.”

“Really?”

“You said your rent is low, right?”

“Yes.”

“So… I think it’s time for a another moving”

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Carmilla schedule the new moving day when Laura’s day off matched Carmilla’s, what would happen in three days. Laura was happy to be finally able to get out of her third wheel situation. Luckily she didn’t have undone most of her boxes so, it would be a smoother day this time. And Perry let her to stock some of her things in her spare room, like the rugs and most of her kitchen appliances. She would eventually take everything out of Perry’s apartment once she had found her permanent place.

 

Carmilla was counting the minutes for her shift to end in the drugstore. She wanted to go home and clean a little (or a lot) before Laura moved in. She got surprised to see a familiar red head getting in the store. She was greeted by Perry, while she was standing at her post in the cash register. Laura’s partner went to grab something, quickly taking her purchase (a pack of baby wipes) for Carmilla to scan.

 

“So, how things are doing, Carmilla?” asked Perry with her usual smile.

“Fine.” Carmilla gave her a gently smile “It’s 4,75”.

Perry barely looked at her purse while she handed her money to Carmilla.

“So, you invited Laura to live with you?” _On no_ , Carmilla thought to herself.

“I invited her to be my housemate” Carmilla answered with a polite smile.

“I see” Perry took her change, her eyes never leaving Carmilla’s. “Why?”

“Why?” Carmilla repeated like it was the stupid question ever, her smile was gone. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not really” Perry shook her head, her face a little more tense.

“Laura needs a less crowded place. I need someone to share the rent. You do the math.”

“It’s that really all?”

Carmilla huffed “What do you mean, Betty Crocker?”

“You know what I mean, Carmilla.” Perry polite tone was gone too.

“No, I really don’t.”

“Carmilla, Laura is my best friend. You have no idea how much I care about her. If you make something to hurt her in any way-“

“She is my friend too. I would never do anything to hurt her.” Carmilla ran her fingers through hair, tossing her locks behind. “That’s the opposite what I’m doing here.”

_“Friend_? I know that’s not how you see her, Carmilla.”

“How dare you to make assumptions about me?”

“I get you. Laura is an adorable person, she always attracts people with her kindness and her good intentions. But if are not serious about your intentions with her-”

“Perry, what do you want?”

“I’m just warning you Carmilla. Laura doesn’t need another Danny in her life. She is not just a pretty face. There is a baby too you have to considerate in your equation.” Perry said in a roughed tone.

“First of all, I’m nothing like Danny. And second, I’m pretty aware of her baby situation. I was with her on her first ultrasound. And third…” Carmilla wanted to say it out loud. Yes, she loved Laura, with all of her heart. But she didn’t own anything to Perry, and she would not be the first person Carmilla would say it out loud. “My shift is done. Anything else I can help you?”

“No” Perry said with a straight face. “That’s all I want.” She made a pointed pause “For now.”

 

**+++**

 

**Lafontaine(07:30a.m.):** I’m only the messenger in here, don’t forget it.

**Carmilla(07:30a.m.):** What?

**Lafontaine(07:30a.m.):** You can never kill the messenger

**Carmilla(07:31a.m.):** What is going on, Ginger snap?

**Lafontaine(07:31a.m.):** Laura only eats plain pancakes in the breakfast, sometimes cereal

**Carmilla(07:32a.m.):** ????

**Lafontaine(07:32a.m.):** She can’t cook in the morning, her sickness is the worst when she wakes up

**Carmilla(07:33a.m.):** This is Ginger 2 whipping you now?

**Lafontaine(07:33a.m.):** Her mood swings is a thing, never forget about it

**Carmilla(07:34a.m.):** Goodbye Lafontaine

**Lafontaine(07:34a.m.):** I understand you, but I care about her too

 

**+++**

 

Perry, Lafontaine, Carmilla and Laura moved Laura’s boxes to Perry’s truck. It was really fasted this time. Laura was tired of yet another moving, but so much more relieved. She noticed a strange tension between Perry and Carmilla, but decided to not say something and make things even more stranger. She got the next day off too, so she would have time to arrange everything by then. Carmilla helped her set her things into her new closet and even ordered a pizza for later (From The Darling Mansion, of course). She felt really comfortable just laying in the couch you Carmilla by her side, savoring a delicious slice of pizza.

“This is so good.”

“It’s from that place I took you that day.”

“I knew it! We should eat this every day.”

“I agree.”

 

Laura cleaned her hands on her jeans, leaning over the coffee table and taking a frame picture from one of her moving boxes. It was a portrait of her parents and herself, she was just a kid in the center holding both of theirs hands, side by side, in front of a yellow house with a very flowery yard.

“It’s that you?” Carmilla asked with an amused expression.

“Yeah. And my parents.” It’s been a while since the last time Laura paid attention to that picture. It was laying somewhere with her memorabilia.

“How old were you?”

She thought for a second. “Seven years.”

“You were really cute. You still are.” Carmilla nudged her, looking at her honey eyes. “You look a lot like your mother.”

Laura rolled her eyes “Everybody says that.”

“Where this was taken?” Carmilla inclined to look closer at the picture.

“In our house in Minnesota.”

“Are you a country girl, Cupcake?” She took the picture lightly from Laura’s hand, laying it on her knee.  
“Yeah. I came here to study. And I stayed.” She got even closer to Carmilla, their knees bumping under the picture.

“Why someone cross the country to study in godforsaken Silas?”

“Well, a few reasons, but mainly because I got a scholarship.”

“And your parents were ok with that?”

“Not really. My father wanted to pay my tuition for Minnesota State, but I really wanted to be on my own.”

“I understand that.” Carmilla sighed and handed the picture back to Laura “What about your mother?”

Laura knew that question was coming. It always would. “My mother disappeared when I was 8.” Laura said looking at her mother on the picture, her voice a little weaker “She was a nurse. One day she was going to work, like any other day and she never got there.” She fixed her gaze on Carmilla “We looked everywhere. Nobody saw her. Ever.”

“I’m sorry.” Carmilla didn’t know anything else better to say. She always hated when people said it to her, like it was part of a social protocol, but with Laura it seemed right and she said it in the most sincere way she could.

Laura closed her eyes absorbing Carmilla’s words. “It’s so frustrated, you know?” She shook her head, eyes lost in the coffee table. “If she had died, I would know what happened with her. But, no… there is no body, no clue, no lead, nothing.” Her voice got weak again, almost like a whisper “She just vanished.”

Carmilla raised her right hand and brushed some comforting pattern on Laura’s back. Laura released a nervous breath, closing her eyes for another few seconds.

“And my father became unbearably overprotective, afraid that I would disappear too. He even made me carry bear sprays for each day of the week.” She said the last part trying to sound a little happier. Carmilla chucked. “I’m not kidding” She glanced to Carmilla, a soft smile growing on her lips “He was also very intimidating with all of the boys that dared to look at me. He didn’t have a clue I was not really interested in any of them. It’s was kind of cool for me and Kirsten. Lots of PJs parties.”

“Kirsten, huh?” Carmilla ceased her hand movement, resting it on her lap again.

“Yeah, she was my first girlfriend.” Laura became a little shy, she didn’t know really why. “But anyway, I applied for a lot of schools far away from home and got accepted in most of them, but just Silas gave me a full scholarship. This way it was easier for my father to accept me leaving for so far. I had a good reason.”

“When did you graduated from Silas? I don’t remember seen you there.”

“You went to Silas too?” 

“Yes, that’s where I got my glorified philosophy certificate and my stupid student dept.”

“I graduated like 5 years ago, class of 2010. You probably weren’t even in there.” If Laura had seen Carmilla in Silas, she was sure she would notice her.

“I was. I actually got in 2010.” Laura sighed. Carmilla was another brat like Danny. And why she was comparing Carmilla to Danny again? “Maybe we almost bumped into each other.” Carmilla nudged her again, showing her classic smirk.

“Yeah, maybe.” Laura nodded. That would be something. “What about you? Are you from here?” Now she was the one curious. And she really needed to know Carmilla more. They just became housemates.

“Yes, born and raised in Silas.” Carmilla said with a sarcastic tone, stretching her arms and leaning her back on the couch. Laura was not sure if she was really proud of it or not.

“So, you never wanted to run away from your parents?” She concluded.

“That was not possible. They died when I was 9. Car accident.” Carmilla interlaced her fingers resting her head over them. Her poker face was back.

“Oh. We really don’t know much about each other.” Laura looked uneasy. “So, who raised you?”

“I got a few years into the system, bouncing from one foster home to the other until I was 12. This lady, I call her mother, she took me in until I was 18. And then I left for University.”

“She was good to you?” Laura folded her legs under herself, turning to face Carmilla.

“Kind of.” Carmilla shrugged. “I mean, she gave me my own bedroom, paid for everything, put me in a good school, but… she was distant. She was very serious, and rigid like she only had us around only for her reputation or something.”

“Us?”

“There were other children too. I had an older foster sister, Mattie and a younger foster brother, Will. She treated us the same. Sort of cold and distant.”

“Do you still talk with her?”

“Not since I left college. She didn’t like my choice of major, said it was a waste of time. That’s basically why I paid for everything and got into a huge student loan.” Carmilla propped her elbows over her knees, feeling a little defeated.

“She seems kind of scary.”

“Have you met the Silas Dean?”

“Yeah. I got into an argument with her over some stupid rules, and almost got expelled. Why?”

“That’s mother.”

Laura frowned. “Oh. I kind of get it now. I would never imagine she was your mother. Well, foster mother.”

“Like I said, Cupcake, ‘air of mystery’.” Carmilla placed her hand playfully over Laura’s leg.

“Yeah.” Laura looked at Carmilla hands, smiling unwittingly. “Luckily, I love so solve mysteries.”

“I’m not that interesting.” Carmilla laughed amused with Laura expression, resting her head on her hands again.

“For some reason I don’t believe you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Domestic Hollstein ahead. That's basically where I wanted to land since day 1 for things to start to become more interesting. This chapter is a watershed.
> 
> Also, I used a real place as a basis to describe The Darling Mansion pizza place - the best pizza ever!


	8. Eyes On Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla start to living together which lead them to see some ugly sides of each other (but not everything is lost). And Laura is having some troubles because of her hormones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ran with this chapter after episode 2.30. I think we need something to get our minds out of the worst moment on canon Hollstein.

**Chapter 8 – Eyes on Fire**

 

Carmilla was feeling a little weird to follow Perry’s instructions. No, that was not the case, really. She was going to do what was best for Laura. She refused to be another whipped soldier in Perry’s army. Sure, she was concerned about her friend, Carmilla understood that. But Perry should not be so arrogant and rude about it. She was not a child, for fucks sake, she knew what she was doing. And she, Carmilla was the one putting her heart out there, to be blessed or to be destroyed by Laura, not the other way around. Didn’t anyone have seen that?

 

Carmilla knew the risks. But Laura was different. She didn’t know why or how, but she was. She was willing to take chances. And she knew if that blows somehow, she would never be able to do it again. To open her heart like that. But after Laura moved in with her, she felt reassurance of her feelings. She spent the first night with Laura in the apartment watching a Buffy marathon. Laura didn’t make the first episode, falling asleep in the couch right next to Carmilla, her head resting on her shoulder. Carmilla smiled at her sight, looking to a very peaceful Laura. That felt so right. Her heart was fuller than ever. Full of love, of gratitude and something else.

 

She didn’t want to watch the rest of episodes without Laura, so she changed to Netflix, to see some bad horror movie. Well, all horror movies were bad, but with Laura by her side, they looked a little bit better. She was never scared about them, but mostly amused. Who could not laugh seen a refrigerator attacking people? Really? As the hours passed, Laura was getting even more comfortable on the couch, snuggling even further into Carmilla. She was so close, Carmilla could smell her vanilla scent shampoo. That was probably like heaven would smell. That’s at least how her heaven smelled. Like Laura.

 

But after a terrified scream from the movie, Laura awaked startled, taking her surroundings at an uneasy pace.

“Are you ok, Cupcake?”

“What the hell is that?” Laura said looking at the TV, a little girl was coming out of a concrete wall. 

“Just a silly horror movie.”

“Why didn’t just kept watching Buffy?”

“Well, I didn’t want to see it without you.”

Laura gave a half smile. For a second she forgot where she was. But waking up in Carmilla’s lap was a good surprise. And she was glad Carmilla saved Buffy for her.

“I guess I should go to bed. I’m not used to be up this late.”

“Are you sure?” Carmilla asked after another scream from the movie “You are losing some good quality TV here.”

“How can you sleep after watching this?” She pointed dramatically to the TV.

“This is not really scary and I sleep mostly during the day, so it’s not the same.” She shrugged.

“Right, I’ll have to pass. I need to take every opportunity I can to sleep.” She yawned. “This little guy here makes me sleeper than the usual.”

“So, it’s a boy now?” Carmilla raised her eyebrows making a tease face.

“I’m feeling boyish today, so that’s how I’m going to call him.”

“But, if it’s a girl?”

“Not today.” Laura said after another yawned.

“You are weird, Hollis.”

“Thanks.” She got up, stretching her arm and her back. “I see you in the morning, Carm.”

“See you.” Carmilla returned Laura smile. Yes, things were really good.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was the best housemate ever. For a week. _That was too good to be true_ , Laura thought. That first week, Carmilla was a truly girl scout, making pancakes for them after her shift in the mornings, taking care of all the dishes, cleaning the floor and dusting every surface of the apartment. The bathroom smelled like Perry had cleaned it herself and she even took the trash outside. The only thing she didn’t do was Laura’s laundry (she really didn’t have to do that though). But after the second week, Laura was seeing some changes. One pair of pants over the couch here. The dishes piled up on the sink there. And, of course, Laura did the chores too, she was not lazy. She waited for Carmilla to see her mess on the next day, obviously she would see that and take care of it. Nope. Day after day Laura saw that same pair of jeans over the couch, and gaining the company of an old t-shirt and lost pairs of socks. The groceries were still in the bags over the counter.

 

Yes, Carmilla kept cooking them breakfast every morning, pancakes that tasted even better than Perry’s (her best friend could never know that). And she ordered The Darling Mansion pizzas every Monday night. They decided to choose something new in every order, and someday they would have tasted all of the pizza parlor flavors. That was really fun, she could give that. And the Buffy marathons too. Carmilla made the best jokes about vampires. But the mess was getting worst. Carmilla was washing dishes once or twice in the week. And she never cleaned the oven. Or the counter. After the third week of this new “Carmilla attitude”, Laura came from her work exhausted, it was a long day, she even argued with Donna again. When she got in the apartment, Carmilla was falling sleeping over the couch, buried in her own mess of clothings.

 

Laura huffed with the sight, making a mental note to talk with Carmilla in the morning. She was too tired to get in another argument. She got undress and put on her bathrobe, heading to the bathroom. When she took her robe off she looked at the shower drain, and the image of a disgusting pile of dark hair burned her retina. _That’s it!_

 

She got her bathrobe again, barely tying the belt around her waist going straight to the living room, like a thunder.

“Carmilla we need to talk!” She yelled in a harsh tone to her housemate.

Carmilla woke up with some dribble running down her mouth, she automatic used the back of her hand to wipe it off, while looking confused at Laura “What’s up Cupcake?”

“This place is a mess! We can’t keep living like that.” Laura was mad. Really mad. Like a small ball of rage wrapped in a white robe.

Carmilla blinked and took her messy hair from her eyes, rolling to sit on the couch. She looked more attentive to Laura.

“Uhmm… Laura” Carmilla said a little light-headed by the sleep.

“What?” Laura’s eyes were widen, her forehead full of wrinkles.

“Your robe” Carmilla pointed to Laura’s chest, chuckling a little. Laura looked down, seen an entire boob exposed. Awkwardly she pulled the fabric to cover her pink nipple, crossing her arms over them. Her face was even more red, by rage and now by her embarrassment. 

“This isn’t funny Carmilla, I don’t like to live in a pigsty.”

“It’s not so bad.” She looked at her surroundings, brushing her hair a little more “I mean, yes a little cleaning could do some good.” 

“Not so bad?” Laura snapped. “This wasn’t like this when I moved in, what happened?”

“Well, we are both very tired and busy to be cleaning all the time. This happens.”

“We? No, no, no!” Laura stepped towards Carmilla, taking one piece of clothing from the couch. “This is not mine.” She throw the t-shirt grabbing the pants “This is here for 3 weeks. Also not mine.”

“I was looking for those” Carmilla said taking the pair of jeans.

“What about this, huh?” She picked up a sock, using only her thumb and index finger. “Yes, that’s right, also not mine!” She looked even around the room with furious eyes, tossing the sock back to couch “Oh, God!” She approached a corner, leaning down to another piece of clothing. “Even your underwear is here. How that happened?”

“This isn’t mine.” Carmilla said standing by Laura’s side.

“You brought someone to the apartment?” She asked more angry, her eyes on fire.

“Of course not!” Carmilla said taking the black lacy pants from the floor. “Isn’t yours?”

Laura squinted her eyes to the delicate fabric “I think it is.” she took from Carmilla’s hand, another shade of red on her face “But I didn’t just tossed it over here.”

“Don’t look at me.” Carmilla raised her hands “See? I’m not the only messy one here.”

 

Laura gripped the panty on her left hand, folding her arm under her other arm, taking the underwear out of sight.

 

“The dark hair in the shower drain? The sink full of dishes and the dust?” She wiped her free hand over the bookcase “This place is disgusting!”

“Yeah, but I’m not the only one living in here, you can’t keeping blaming all on me.”

“I do my part. I vacuumed the floor for the last 3 weeks. And the dishes? I wash most of them when I come from work. Apart from this stupid underwear, which I need to discover how got in here, there is not a single piece of my clothing around any part of this place, including my own bedroom, and there is not a single strand of my hair in the bathroom sink or in the drain!”

“I’m sorry.” Carmilla said after a few seconds of silence. Laura was still panting, arms crossed stiffly over her chest. “I’ll be more careful”.

“That is not enough.” Laura huffed and closed her eyes for a moment “I will take a shower. Then we’ll talk.” She retreated from the living room, not saying another word, locking herself inside the bathroom.

 

Carmilla shook her head. _Damn it, Karstein, get your shit together_. She took all of her clothing from the couch and other places around the apartment, throwing in a pile on her bedroom. Then she took a better look to the kitchen, noticing the grease over all of the surfaces, the sink with dirty plates, pots and silverware. She had just spent money in a new refrigerator, she could not afford a dishwasher too.

 

When Laura came from her bedroom, after getting dressed with a white tank top and a green plaid sweat, she sat down slowly on the island stool, sighed heavily.

 

“I’m sorry.” She said looking at the counter, her eyelids falling half of her eyes, the tiredness of the day taking the best of her.

Carmilla finished the last dish, taking a dish towel to dry her hands. She turned to face Laura on the other side of the island. She rested her hands over it. “You were right. I’m a mess.”

“You are.” Laura said still looking down. “But I should not be so mad.”

“I got worst.” Carmilla shrugged. Laura finally met her eyes.

“Don’t say that. It’s just…” she let out another deep breath “There is a lot going on and I just hate when things are messy cause everything seems so much worst.”

“I meant it. I’ll be more careful.” Carmilla’s sweet tone melted Laura’s heart, making her feel more guilt about her tantrum.

“We need to figure out how make this manageable. I thing a chore wheel could do the trick.” Laura suggested.

Carmilla chuckled “That is the dorkiest thing I have ever heard.” Laura slapped her hand, not so playful this time.

“Ouch!” Carmilla said pretending to be hurt. Laura rolled her eyes.

“So, what do you suggest?” She straightened her back, looking with a defiant gaze to Carmilla.

“I don’t know. Aren’t you the expert on this kind of things?” Now Carmilla was the one challenging Laura.

“You just mocked my suggestion.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “I’m not 12.” 

“It’s very effective.” Laura insisted. The chore wheel worked just fine with her roommates in college. Well, most of them.

“And very silly.”

“So, again, your suggestion?”

“We can make a schedule. We can put my days off, and your days off, then we alternate the chores between weeks.” Carmilla showed a smug smile, her ideia sounded so much adult, she thought. “How about that?”

Laura hated that stupid smile, but Carmilla could be right. It’s was not the time to prove who was smarter anyway, she just wanted to solve that terrible issue. “I think it can work.”

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Carmilla said with some enthusiasm. She looked at Laura’s tank top for a second before returning her gaze to her housemate eyes. “I think we are even, huh?”

“Even?” Laura’s brain was still a little upset about losing the chore wheel debate.

“You know, you saw mine, I saw yours?” Carmilla showed her classic smirk, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What are you talking about?” Laura mouth said, but her brain asked _Why Carmilla is smiling like that?_

“Boobs.” Carmilla said with a silly smile.

Laura rolled her eyes, and turned herself to hide her burning cheeks. “You are totally 12.”

 

**+++**

 

After the “Housemate Breakdown 2015” Laura and Carmilla 5th week cohabitating the same apartment got much smoother, and peaceful. Carmilla still forgot about some of her chores, compensating it in the next day or so, to her usual schedule. Laura didn’t mind a little delay, but she was concern someday Carmilla would just slack down like before. Their weekly chores plain were hanging on the fridge door. Carmilla looked at the rainbow colored chart Laura made on her office. It was so gay and so adorable.

 

She knew that was Laura’s last week of her first trimester. She was doing some research, mostly on Google, as a way to prepare herself for the next changing in Laura’s body and behavior, they were very connected. She read some crazy stories on the internet, and some others who appeared to be more legit. Maybe it was time to buy some quality books on the subjective, like Laura suggested a while ago. So she researched about it too.

 

**+++**

 

It was the third day straight it was raining that week. And Laura was the real impersonation of a couch potato, wrapped up in a comfy blanket, lying lazily on the couch. She was watching a Doctor Who marathon, but not enjoying it too much. How was that even possible? She tried to watch some regular TV, but between the weather channel telling about the constant rain in all silly ways possible, and the news with terrible things happening in the world, she thought it was better to turn the TV off all together.

 

That was a slow week at the I Do Wedding Planning, Perry insisted for her to stay at home, cause with the rain on top of everything, there was not much to do anyway. She slept until noon, and watch TV for 2 hours before taking another nap. Napping were a constantly thing in her routine now. She was glad to be her own boss, she would not have the opportunity to sleep in the middle of her work day in somebody’s else company, for sure. But after another 2 hour nap, and no will to watch any more TV, she was just bored.

 

In any other moment, she could text to Carmilla, but her housemate was sleeping. Sometimes she hated Carmilla’s schedules. When both of them had the day off, they only had a small window time of a couple of hours to be enjoyed without the other feeling tired or asleep. She could not complain to Carmilla about this, of course not, they were just housemates. Yes, they were getting closer as the time passed, they get along very well, despise the occasional teasing and silly fights (which was not bad either) but that’s all they were. Friends.

 

She admitted how would be nice if they were something more than friends. Carmilla was so beautiful. Inside and out. She was always doing little things to please Laura, like bring some candy from the drugstore alleging she got it for free cause it was about to expired (and was not really), letting her choose first what they were going to watch, never getting really mad when she had all the reasons to be. Not to mention the bigger things too. Like all the moving, the dress fitting, that day she took them to the lake. Carmilla was really a wonderful person, even with all of her flaws. Even when she mocked herself for her undergraduate degree, or her lame job. It was a shame sometimes how Carmilla could not see how capable and smart she was.

 

But even with all of that, Laura could not expect Carmilla would look at her in any other way than in the friendly way. She was expecting a child, for God’s sake. She was about to be a single mother. Who on earth would like to get involved with someone like her? She had a very heavy baggage, so heavy that even her 5 years girlfriend was not willing to carry with her. Someone who loved her so much and for so long. Why Carmilla, a person she knew for a few months, would even think about her in any other way? Who would like to compromise her life in a such young age to be involved in an almost formed family? The answerer: nobody.

 

Carmilla, like Perry, and Lafontaine, were being nice to her because they were nice people, good people. They would never turn their backs to the sorrow pregnant single friend. Of course not. So, yeah, it would be amazing to be more than friends with Carmilla. But that would never happen. That was material for Fairy Tales. She knew a long time ago how they were nothing but fiction.

 

Laura sighted, her mind was going to unthinkable places again. The less she thought about Carmilla in any other way, the better. She decided to look at real estate web sites, looking for her permanent apartment. She had everything planned when she was living with Danny, but she didn’t predict the cost of another place and the loss of Danny’s paycheck. This was another problem she would have to solve before her baby was born. And after another frustrated hour looking at small or too expensive places, she was getting a very annoying head ache. She looked at the kitchen and decided to do something else.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was so involved in her reading, she didn’t notice Carmilla walking from her bedroom, dragging her bare feet on the hardwood floor, hair messily falling on her face. In the last minutes her attention were concentrated on her kindle over the island. Carmilla just stood by her side in silence, waiting for Laura to notice her. She didn’t. Carmilla inclined a little, to oversee what was getting Laura’s full attention. She recognized the words. Her own words. She stepped back a little.

 

“So” she said cleaning her throat, making Laura virtually jump on the stool “What is this smell that woke me up?”

“Hey…” Laura said with widen eyes, trying to sound aloof. She looked at Carmilla sleepy demeanor. “Sorry, it’s just cookies! Perry’s recipe.”

“Ahhh..” Carmilla took a deep breath. “You can wake me up like this every day.”

“Yeah…” Laura tucked a hair lock behind her ear and chuckled. “I think I can have some now that my morning sickness is gone.”

“That is good news.” Carmilla sat down by Laura’s side. “Are they ready? I want some.”

“I think they are good now.” Laura closed the lid on her kindle, running to the oven and checking the batch “Yes, they are.” She took the tray from the oven and placed it on the island, reaching for a spatula to scrape the cookies from the bottom.

 

Carmilla was so eager to devour the cookies, she took one Laura had just scraped and tore in half, dropping them in the counter again before it burned her hands.

 

“Easy tiger.” Said Laura with another chuckled. “You are going to burn yourself.”

“I like them when they are very hot.” Carmilla said before taking a bite from one of the half. The chocolate chips melted in her mouth. “This is perfection.” She gave Laura a smile full of pleasure.

 

Laura felt something warm inside of her, but decided to ignore it. She put all of the cookies in a rack to cool them down. She returned to her place on the stool, looking at Carmilla taking another cookie from the rack, and tearing it to pieces again.

 

“So, this mean you liked?” Laura said with a teasing smile. Carmilla was not a person who usually gives compliments like that.

“I loved.” Carmilla said while shoving another cookie in her mouth. “Better than Perry’s”

 

Laura gave her an amused kiss on her cheeks, feeling that warmth again. _Oh no, damn hormones_. Since the dress fitting day, Laura did not experience any other moment of sexual attraction to Carmilla. But that was a very reasonable occasion, cause Carmilla was kind of naked, and Laura could not even remember the last time she had sex (maybe somewhere after she got pregnant, she was not sure) and her hormones were kind of crazy that day. And now, Carmilla is fully dressed, looking very sleepy and all messed up in chocolate chips stains. Even then, Carmilla looked hotter than ever. _Stop it!_ The book. Right, the book! She was just reading the third book of Mircalla’s Night, that’s the reason! Even thought it was just the beginning and nothing sexy had really happened, but just the thought of that book could make her wet.

 

“You have a little…” She said almost automatic looking at the insisted chocolate blob on Carmilla’s mouth corner. She extended her hand reaching Carmilla’s mouth wiping the chocolate out of it. Her hand trembled a bit at touch of Carmilla’s mouth. It was soft and warm. _So kissable._

Laura didn’t realize how long her hand was wiping Carmilla’s mouth, when her eyes met her housemate intense gaze. She retrieved her hand carefully, gulping dry. “It’s out.”

“Thanks.” Carmilla said almost in a whisper tone, feeling herself very much aware of the consequences of Laura’s touch.

“I need to go the bathroom.” Laura said in a rushed tone, getting out of the stool and the kitchen.

Carmilla closed her eyes and touched the place Laura’s hand was brushing right before. _What are you doing with me, Cupcake?_

 

**+++**

 

After her very long bath, Laura was feeling much more relaxed. Yes, she thought about Carmilla the whole time, but she knew by the time she would leave the bathroom, Carmilla would be out to her work. When she stepped out to the hall, wrapped in her robe, a towel on her head, she heard the sound of the TV on. Slowly she walked to the living room, founding Carmilla watching Orange Is The New Black, plopped on the couch.

 

“You shouldn’t be at work by now?” Laura asked with some kind of high pitch voice tone.

“Too eager to get rid of me already, creampuff?” Carmilla said never leaving her eyes from the TV.

“No.” Laura said defensibly. “Maybe you got too much distracted by TV to remember.”

“Not a hard thing to happen when Alex is seducing Piper, but…” She faced Laura “My boss called me saying to not go, the store is so empty by the rain that he and Kirsch are enough.”

“Oh.” Laura nodded. “Kind of nice of your boss to give you the day off.”

“Not so much.” Carmilla shrugged. “It’s less hours to pay me.”

“Right. Forget about that.” Laura fidgeted with the belt of the robe. “So, I’m going to get dress.” She pointed to her room and left after Carmilla gave her a reassurance smile.

 

Laura returned minutes later, wearing a baggy striped t-shirt and sweat pants. She sat down on the other end of the couch, resting the left part of her body over the armrest. They enjoyed the show in silence for a while, but after the scene where Piper is released from the solitary and go after Alex, Laura started to feel a little unease. She tried to distract herself from the scene, but the muffled moans coming from the prisoners were not helping.

 

“I’ll get a cookie!” she stood up in a fast motion “Want some?” She asked over her shoulder to Carmilla.

“Yes.” Carmilla said looking at the TV, the scene still happening.

“Milk?” Asked again, her face inside the fridge.

“Sure.”

“Alright.” Laura gained enough time to the episode became dull again. She return with a tray filled with cookies and two glasses of milk, placing it over the coffee table.

“Thanks!” Carmilla gladly took the glass and one cookie, giving a warm smile to Laura.

“No problem.” Laura drank a sip from her glass before she spoke again. “What about we watch something new, huh?”

“I thought you were a fan of reruns.”

“Not today.” She looked at the unreadable face of Carmilla. “Maybe a horror movie? I got really curious about that one with the assassin refrigerator you mentioned the other day.”

“You want to watch a horror movie at this hour?” Carmilla was surprised and amused.

“Why not?” Laura shrugged. Yes, that would be better than keeping watching lesbians getting on in prison.

“Fine by me.” Carmilla said terminating the show.

Laura took a deep breath and engaged in the dark side of cinema. She just hoped she could avoid the nightmares later.

 

**+++**

 

Laura did have nightmares that night. And in the next. But not with horror movies. And not really nightmares, but mostly dreams. Dreams about her and Carmilla, getting it on like Mircalla and her lovers. Why she did she read that stupid book? Not really a stupid book, but mostly it was a stupid idea, with all of her hormones pushing her mind to the most lustful thoughts in the world. And why she had such an attractive housemate? The gorgeous woman she has ever met? That was really unfair.

 

It’s not like she could just get out there and meet someone in a bar, and bring them to her bedroom and have a one night stand. In the first place, she never did that. Second, she was pregnant, she could not just have sex with a total strange. What if they had some sort of disease? _Oh, grows!_

 

But as the days progressed, her cravings were getting the best of her. There was not enough masturbation in the world to put her out of her misery. She was feeling embarrassed around her coworkers when she would thought about sex in the most inappropriate moments. She looked for some books about it. She really needed a way to deal with that. And she found out this was normal for some women. They could crave for sex several times in a day, sometimes even more than a horny teenager. Others could not even think about sex, passing mostly of their pregnancy without any action. Why she was not one of those? Why she got to get the worst end of the hormones lottery?

 

Not to mention how things were getting weird around Carmilla. She used to be a very touchy person around her housemate, like she is with most of her close friends. But not anymore. She was afraid she could jump in Carmilla’s bones at any moment. It would be just a matter of time. She needed to do something.

 

In the next morning, 2 weeks in her second trimester, 14 out of 40 weeks of pregnancy, Laura woke up after a torrid dream with Carmilla. Without a second thought, she tossed her hand inside her pants, finding it already very wet. With round motions over her swelled clit, she drove herself in just a few minutes to her expected release. That had become a daily routine. Mornings, nights, afternoons sometimes. But there were something unsettle that morning. After a few minutes she went for the second round. She could not remember feeling this turned on when she had had sex with Danny. What was happening? After the second time, and a shower (where she touched herself again after she glanced Carmilla in the hall coming from work) she was feeling better.

 

But that feeling didn’t last too long. She could feel her pants soaked again. Luckily she was wearing a pencil skirt, because if it was pants, she was sure she would stain them shamefully. Perry was out the whole day, but Lafontaine seemed to notice some unusual twitchiness in their boss.

 

“Everything alright boss?” they asked casually while Laura was updating a chart on their big mural.

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” Laura retorted.

“Nothing. It’s just…” Laura looked at them with intense eyes, almost angry, but mainly just irritated. 

“Have you talked with Donna about the Clayton-Rivera flowers?” She said rigid cutting Lafontaine line of thought.

“Yes, she will give us an answer by this afternoon.”

“Ok.” Laura turned her attention back to the chart.

 

Her mind forgot about the flowers, and the weddings, going straight to the sexy florist. Yes, she was a smugly hunter, hit on her since the first day they have met, never stopping even when Laura said she had a girlfriend, and not even after she saw her 6 feet tall girlfriend, or even when Laura dismissed her attempt to a kiss a few months ago. Donna was not so fierce like before, but she always made some sort of dirty joke to remember Laura how much she desired her.

 

“You know, what?” Laura said turning to her assistant. “I’m going to talk to her, and maybe see if there will be something new aside those stupid cactus she always brag about.”

They raised a suspicious eyebrow “Don’t you think it’s best to wait for her feedback? I mean, the weather is still a little crap, you should not risk to get in some flood.”

“I’ll be fine Laf.” Laura took her purse and her keys, turning to the door. “You don’t have to wait for me If I get too late, just lock it all up and go home.”

“Right, boss.” They said with a concerned face, nodding to Laura. “This is not good.” They said under their breath after the door was closed again.

 

Laura was not sure what she was getting in to. She would not find a stranger. And she could not do this with Carmilla, the one she really wanted. She was sure if she could have someone touching her, at least once, these annoying cravings would cease. That’s all she needed, someone else touching her. Carmilla was one of her best friends, the person she shared a house, she could not lose all of that because of a silly craving, a whim from her hormones, a trick from her mind, blinding her with lust. No.

 

She could only imagine how good it would be with Carmilla. And she didn’t know if things would come to that end, Carmilla would go along with her or not. She could not imagine how she would feel embarrassed if Carmilla turned her down. Because Carmilla actually knew Laura was pregnant, but Donna didn’t. And after one night or afternoon with Donna, she could just avoid the blonde and send in Laf or Perry to deal with her. Yes, thinking about this, it didn’t sound so bad. Worst case scenery, they would have to find someone else to supply the flowers. It was kind of impossible in the past, but things may have changed. Maybe there was someone new in town as good as Donna, or even better. Yeah, that was possible.

 

**+++**

 

Less than 10 minutes after Laura left the office, Carmilla came in, carrying a plastic container in a brown paper bag.

 

“Hey, Ginger 1, how are you doing?” She waved to Lafontaine.

“I’m good. What are you doing outside in the day light?”

“Haha, yeah vampire.” Carmilla made her broody face giving a light punch on her friend’s shoulder. “Where is Laura, she forgot her lunch.”

“She went to talk with the florist.” They looked at Carmilla’s bag “This is not like children take their lunch to school?”

Carmilla expression turned to a much more annoyed when she hear the word florist, but decided not to think too much about it. “Yes, I was going to tease Laura, so I put her tupperware in here.”

“Good one.” They scratched they chin for a moment “Maybe you should take to her.”

“She can have when she returned” Carmilla said going to the fridge.

“It’s important for her to eat properly, I think you should go.”

“It’s just lunch, Brainiac, I’m sure she will be back soon, right?” Carmilla looked back to them, waiting for some reassurance.

“Who knows?” They shrugged. “But she said to me not wait for her to be back. And she also mention something about cactus.”

Carmilla felt some panic creeping in her. “Cactus?”

“Yeah, like I said, I think you should go, here…” They went to their bag and reached for their keys, handing it to Carmilla. “You can have my car. You can return it whenever.”

“I don’t even know where that place is.” Carmilla was trying not to get too worried. She should know better.

“Not a problem, give me your phone.” Carmilla gave them her phone. They typed on the screen for a while before returning it to Carmilla. “Here, just follow your GPS, you’ll be there in 20 minutes or so.”

Carmilla knew what that meant. She had noticed Laura’s uneasiness in the last days, avoiding Carmilla in a strange way. She used to be a very touchy person, but not around Carmilla anymore. Was Laura finally returning the florist advances? She was single now, so why not?

 

“Thanks, Laf.” Carmilla said in a defeated tone.

 

After following her phone instructions, Carmilla was parking outside of the Bella Donna Flowers. _What a presumptuous name._ She was about to leave the car, when she had a second thought. What if she was ruining something for Laura? Maybe Laura should be with the flower girl. She could not judge the woman just because she flirted with everybody, like Lafontaine said. Carmilla had her share of affairs too, she could not just think that someone like her would not be worth of Laura. Maybe she just needed to let things happening on their own and not to force anything. If Laura liked the girl, she could not do a thing about it. She had to respect that, as much as it hurt her.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was nervous. She was not sure what to do, or what to say. When she stepped in the flower shop, the nice sweet smell of the flowers calm her down. She looked at her surroundings looking for the pale blue eyes that were always hunger for her.

 

“Hey, Laura.” Said one of the Donna’s assistants, James. “Looking for Donna?”

“Yes.” Laura said a little too much enthusiastic.

“She’s in the back making some arrangements. You can go straight there.” He pointed to a door at the very back of the shop.

“Thank you.” Laura passed through some costumers before facing the red and green door to her final destination. If something would happen between them, it could happen there, in the middle of the flowers. It could be kind of romantic. Well, not what she was really looking for, but it would make things a little better.

 

Donna was behind a large table, her attention concentrated in a big bouquet of roses she was tying together with some kind of liana. Laura could feel her senses getting on the edge at the florist sight. Donna was wearing a green tank top with a navy blue apron, her yellow hair tied up in a bun, the sides shaved. Laura noticed her exposed arm muscles contracting with her movements over the bouquet, her eyes locked in concentration, staring fiercely to the roses. Laura’s body reacted again, sending pulses to her center. _That’s it._

 

“Hi…” Her voice cranked a bit.

“Hello, darling.” Donna said after she saw Laura standing on the doorframe. “Come in.” She gesture for Laura to approach. 

Laura closed the door behind her before she moved again to get near Donna. The florist got surprised by Laura’s gesture, she would never let herself be alone around her ever. 

“So, do you have something for the Clayton-Rivera wedding?”

“Yellow and purple, right?” She raised one eyebrow. Laura nodded. “Yes, to be honest I have a lot of good suggestions right here.”

“Good, show me them.” Laura said with a smile.

 

Donna gave a discrete laugh, turning herself and gesturing for Laura to follow her. The back of the shop was kind of a medium size warehouse with all kinds of vases, and plants in shelves. On the very back they had a green house and big refrigerator for the tulips and other kind of winter flowers. Laura looked at the rest of Donna’s body, her ass was just the right size, like her boobs. And what about her legs? Just perfect. Laura could not avoid the objectifying thoughts, her feminist side hated it, but her hormones didn’t care a thing. Donna was a short woman like her, maybe an inch shorter, she was not sure. That would be different, after all these years tilting her head up and craning, she could finally be in a normal level, maybe even facing to a low level. Yes, that could be a good different.

 

Donna stopped in front of a collection of yellow wildflowers. “We have the classic wildflowers, but some people don’t like cause they are short.” She shrugged giving a crooked smile to Laura.

“I like short.” Laura said trying to sound seductive. She was not sure if she was getting the results she wanted. Her head was kind of clouded.

“Really?” Donna was feeling the air shifting. Finally. “Well, maybe I can show you some other short flowers in the green house, what do you think?”

Laura looked at the stuffy green house, and cringed a little at the thought. “What about here? What do you have in here” Laura gesture with both hands to her round “that I can appreciate?”

Donna smirk smile was spread all over her face. “Well.” She stepped getting closer to Laura. “You need to be more specific.”

“Do I really need?” Laura smile back, leaning herself in a beam.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble, you know?” Donna gave another step just a few inches to Laura. “Some people don’t believe in that, but I am a lady.”

“Well, I’m not saying you are not, but…” Laura closed her eyes, displaying a shy smile.

“What?”

“I’m curious.” Laura opened her eyes again, with some sort of questioning look.

Donna raised her left hand lighting touching Laura’s forearm, from her pulse until her elbow. At first Laura felt the goosebumps forming on her skin, but after a second she felt something else. Like that was wrong. So wrong. _What I’m doing here?_

Laura gave a step back, freeing herself from Donna’s touch.

“Is everything ok?” Donna asked seeing Laura’s demeanor shifting.

“Yes. Just not curious anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Donna’s eyes were pleading, but her voice was firm.

Laura nodded. “Did you know I’m going to have a baby?”

Donna’s features fell to a frown, like Laura had kicked her in the gut instead of just stating a simple fact.

“Really?”

“Yes.” Laura stroked her hand over her belly, she felt a little bump for the first time ever. She smile unconsciously. “Three months and a half.”

“Uh… congratulations.” Donna said with a forced smile.

“Thanks.” Laura was happy anyway.

 

**+++**

 

Laura left the shop and was surprised to find Carmilla in Lafontaine’s car at the front parking lot. She waved happily to her housemate.

“Hey, what are you doing in here?” She inclined on Carmilla’s window, placing her hands on the door.

Carmilla felt her heart beating fast again, she was not sure if she did the right decision, but it didn’t matter much when she saw Laura smile like a sunshine to her. She missed that. “You keeping forgetting things, Cupcake.” She raised the bag to Laura.

“What is this?” She raised her eyebrows “You should know I don’t do drugs.” And there it was again. The cravings. Carmilla next to her, smelling like cookies and pancakes.

“It’s your lunch.” Carmilla raised one eyebrow. “Guess who are 12 now?” She opened a big and honest smile to Laura.

“You came all of this way just to give me my lunch?” Laura eyes was lost in Carmilla’s. It was a rare thing for her to see Carmilla like that, in the daylight. She saw the details embedded in her irises, some light brown flicks hidden under the dark shades of brown that could only be seen up this far and in this light. They made her feel so comfortable and so special, like any other pair of irises could ever make.

 

She didn’t know if was the warmth of Carmilla’s eyes, her familiar smell, her hormones or all of that combined who boosted her to the act. She closed her eyes and in a fast movement crashed her lips on Carmilla’s. For less than a second, Carmilla was frozen. But not for so long. Her hand dropped the bag on her lap, joining the other that was tangled in Laura’s hair. She kissed back, putting all of her emotions on that kiss, like the world would end in the next minute. Laura was equally eager, biting her lower lip, her tongue brushing lightly opening her way. Carmilla welcome Laura’s tongue with her own, deepen the kiss.

 

The end was rough. Laura pulled away, suddenly very aware of what she just did. She looked at Carmilla with panic eyes, her breathing still a little affect by the kiss.

 

“I should go.” She said steeping back, one, two steps, then turning herself completely before reaching her car, and awkwardly entering it. She started the engine and held the wheel with her closed eyes, taking in all the last moments. What she was doing?

 

Carmilla was still inside Lafontaine’s car, looking at Laura through the window. She shook her head and took the bag again, getting out of the car. She walked to her housemate car, and knocked on her window. Laura looked even more nervous than before. She noticed Carmilla, and rolled down her window, her eyes not making contact.

 

“Are you alright?” 

“Carm, can we talk about this later?”

“Sure.” Carmilla said nodding, even though Laura was not looking at her. “But, please, take your lunch, it’s important.”

“Right.” Laura looked at Carmilla for a brief second while she took the bag. She placed it on the passenger seat.

“Ok, I’ll see you home.” Carmilla said with a gentle tone.

“I’ll see you.” Laura said before shifted her car gear, backing up to leave the lot.

Carmilla stayed there while Laura drove away. She touched her lips and thought about the kiss again. It was perfect. It was everything she imagined and more. So much more. Then why Laura was so scared?

 


	9. 12 hours Or So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the their kiss Carmilla and Laura talk. A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not easy, creampuffs. Buckle up!

**Chapter 10 – 12 Hours Or So**

 

Carmilla returned to her apartment. She paced around the kitchen and the living room. She took a random book from a shelf and tried to read. She knew it was worthless but she tried anyway. Questions burned in her head. _Why? Why, Laura? What went wrong? Did she regret it? It wasn’t good for her? It didn’t seem like. So, why?_

 

Her mind was going in circles and she was tired of all that questions. She looked at her watch, it was 3 in afternoon. Laura wouldn’t be home for hours. So she just left and wanderer to the streets, without a specific direction. Even though her mind was not paying attention to her path, her legs were taking her to a familiar destination. She looked at the old For Sale sign and kicked it to the ground. Nobody would buy that house anyway. Nobody did in the last 15 years. She went to the back yard and grabbed the hidden key under a rock. She opened the door and walked up stairs, landing in the dusty sheets of her former bed. That place was a symbol of safety. It always felt like that since she was born. It was the place she ran away when she lived in foster homes. Her social worker always knew where to find Carmilla when she disappeared from another family. It’s been a while since the last time she went to sleep in there.

 

She looked at the plastic yellow stars glued on the ceiling. The star always brought comfort to her, even when they were fake. It reminded her how our problems and ourselves can be so insignificant in comparison to the great universe around us. But it didn’t make any less of her pain. Why it was always so hard for her to understand other people feelings? She had no doubt about her own. Why human nature got to be so complicated?

 

The hours awake took a toll on her. Her eyes lids were heavy, even though her mind was racing with thought after thought. Eventually she felt to a unsettle sleep.

 

 

**+++**

 

Laura sat down on her desk, a brown paper bag settled by her computer. In the next hour, she ran all kinds of sceneries on her mind. She would go home and tell Carmilla it was a silly mistake on her part. Or maybe she could say it was a latte April fools prank? That does not sound so bad. No, it was the worst idea ever, of course. What about the truth? Her hormones were turning her into a pervert. Was that too bad? She didn’t know. Embarrassing? Yes. True? Kind of. Reason to find a new place? Probably.

 

But what was the alternative? A momentary lapse of sanity? It worked for creepers. Why should it not work for her? She was not a creeper, right. Or was she?

 

Lafontaine came to her desk, looking with curious eyes to her paper bag.

“So, Camilla found you?” They asked with a casual tone.

“Yes.” Laura totally forgot about her lunch. She was not really hungry, but could not let her tiny human to starve.

“What about the florist, I mean the flowers, any progress?” They asked in the same tone. Luckily Laura didn’t see the panic in their eyes mentioning the florist.

“Wildflowers.” Laura answered like before, not eager to get in any further detail.

“Nice.”

“Yes.” Laura nodded.

“Are you not going to eat?” They asked looking the paper bag again.

“Right.” Laura grabbed the paper and stood up, heading to the break corner.

 

She placed the bag over the counter, when she unfolded the top she saw her name written down in a beautiful cursive calligraphy. Laura. She opened a bright smile, feeling warmth in her heart.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up sneezing. It was dark, but she knew where she was. _Why did I sleep in this disgusting bed?_ She took her phone from her pocket to turn on it light, when she realized it was 8 in the night. _Fuck_. She brushed the dust from her limbs and took her way back to home. She was afraid Laura would had gone to bed and dismissed their talk. She really wanted to talk to her. She **needed** to talk to her. So she just ran.

 

She opened her door breathless looking for any sight of Laura. Nothing. She went to the girl’s bedroom door and opened it quietly. The bed was made and empty. Good. She turned to her own bedroom and grabbed some clean clothes, before she headed to the bathroom for a needed shower.

 

She was getting dress when she heard the front door opening. She speeded up her pace and took a deep breath before she opened the door. _Moment of the truth, Karnstein_. She looked to a distracted Laura, standing still in the space between the kitchen and the living room, her eyes lost somewhere.

 

“Hey.” Carmilla said after a few light steps towards Laura.

Laura snapped out of her thoughts, recognizing Carmilla “Hey.”

They looked at each other in silence. The tension growing at every second. Carmilla finally took the courage to speak again.

“So… can we talk?”

“Yes.” Laura looked at herself for a second. “But I need a shower first. I think I bumped in some manure.” She gave Carmilla a half smile.

“Okay.” Carmilla said nodding, her expression blank. In any other moment she would laugh or make fun of Laura. But not in that moment. Her nerves were on the edge.

“Right.” Laura walked past Carmilla straight to the bathroom.

Carmilla stood there until Laura closed the door. She didn’t remember Laura smelling anything bad like manure. She also didn’t smell like some sort of depraved florist. When Laura kissed Carmilla, all she felt was Laura scent. Nothing besides it. Maybe she was calming herself with the shower. It help her a lot too after she slept in dustyland. Yes. But why was she thinking about it? She rolled her eyes to herself, going to the bookcase and taking a book. She sat down on the couch, knowing she would not be in the mood to read, but she could pretend.

 

After minutes that felt like hours, Laura was walking back to the living room, her hands turned in fists, nervously hovering at her sides. She kept walking until she reached the couch, her eyes never leaving the ground. She sat on the other end of the couch, arms crossed, her back hunched. Carmilla placed the book aside and inclined forward on the couch edge, resting her elbows over her knees, her eyes concentrated in Laura.

 

Laura was in a dazzled of thoughts. Her right leg started to shake and she gulped dry. She closed her eyes and some tears formed under her eyes lids, slowly falling on her face. Carmilla felt her heart heavy, extending her arm to Laura, touching her fist.

 

“Don’t touch me!” Laura snapped at Carmilla.

Carmilla retrieved her hand instantly. “Did I do anything wrong, Laura?” Her voice was small, hurt.

“You did nothing wrong, Carmilla.” Laura finally looked at Carmilla, her eyes full of pain. “I’m the one with a problem here.” She sighed. “A big problem.”

Carmilla waited for some explanation, but Laura returned to her previous position, hunched over her knees. Carmilla felt uneasy again. She didn’t want to pressure Laura, but she also didn’t want to be in that situation again, living in a limbo of answers.

"What is it?” She asked after the prolonged silence. Laura’s leg started to shake again. “You can tell me anything, you know that, right?"

Laura closed her eyes again. "I'm horny…” Her voice was cracking, sounding not just hurt but also ashamed. “My crazy hormones are getting me fucking horny."

"Oh." Carmilla didn’t see that coming.

"I‘ve tried everything...” Laura eyes were on the floor, her face burning red and more tears threatened to fall. “I mean, I have been touching myself every day, all day but... it's not really working."

In all of her thoughts and whys and concerns, Carmilla never imagined that was the problem bugging Laura. Hormones. Just, pregnancy hormones.

“That’s why I’m avoiding you.” She raised her shoulders. “I was afraid I would do something stupid… I and did.”

“There was nothing stupid about that kiss.” Carmilla said in a gentle tone.

“You don’t have to say it to make me feel better, Carmilla.”

“I mean it. I liked that kiss. A lot.”

“Really?” Laura finally looked at Carmilla again, a trace of hope in her eyes. "It's so embarrassing, still…”

"Don't feel embarrassing, Laura this is normal." Carmilla extended her hand again, more carefully this time. Laura didn’t retrieved or moved a bit, so Carmilla placed her hand over the other girl’s knee, giving her a reassurance squeeze.

"You saying this is normal it's not helping, ok?" Laura’s voice was cracking again.

"So, what would help you?" 

Laura looked at Carmilla, studying her face for a second. "Isn't that obvious?" She closed her eyes and reclined her back on the couch, resting her hands on her sides.

Carmilla took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _Just go for it, Karnstein._ She moved her hand, in a very slow pace, and reached Laura's thigh, brushing light circles. Laura opened her eyes, very aware of the situation, but showing no sign of distaste.

"Is that good?" She looked cautiously at Laura.

"Yes." Laura said in a whisper, nodding her head.

Carmilla moved her hand to Laura's inner thigh, observing her reaction. Laura closed her eyes and let out a long breath, relaxing into Carmilla's touch. Carmilla's hand kept brushing circles, moving up a little in direction to her center. Laura let out a moan. Carmilla could feel herself changing too, her skin craving for Laura.

It was fast and unexpected. Laura hands was pulling Carmilla’s face in her directing, crashing their mouths in a burning kiss. She kept pushing Carmilla into the couch, inclined her weight over her housemate, their mouths never breaking the kiss. As soon as Carmilla’s back was on the couch, Laura’s hand was taking it all over the place. First she squeeze her boobs, than brushed her ribs, downing to her hips and grabbing her ass while she placed mouth open kisses on her chest, pushing their bodies to another level of closeness. Carmilla had one hand tangled on Laura’s hair, the other kept brushing her back.

When Laura returned to face Carmilla, her eyes suddenly was full of fear again. In another fast and unexpected motion, she was standing on the floor, her hands covering her face.

“I’m sorry.” She said with a crying voice. “You don’t have to do this.”

She turned to leave the room when Carmilla reached her placing her hand on Laura’s shoulder.

“Come here, Cupcake.” Carmilla said in Laura’s ear, the desire still impressed in her voice. “Are you having second thoughts about it?”

“No.” Laura whined.

“So, come on.” Carmilla kissed Laura’s hand, removing it from her face, while the other ran on her hair. “Do you want to do this with me?”

“Do you?” Laura looked anxious in Carmilla’s eyes.

“Of course I want.” Carmilla said sincere. “But do _you_ want to?”

“You’re like the hottest person that I know, of course I want.” Not exactly the answer Carmilla was expecting.

“So, what is the problem?” Carmilla hold Laura’s hand, giving it another kiss.

“I can’t believe you really want to have sex with me.”

“Why not? You are beautiful, Laura. And so hot.” Carmilla gave Laura a naughty smile.

“I don’t want you to do this out of pity.”

“I’m not pitying you, Laura.” 

“How can you not?”

Carmilla looked even more intense to Laura, letting all of her concerns behind. “I’ll show you.” She said using her best husky voice. She gave Laura’s hand another squeeze before guiding it to her waist. Her other hand eased her waistband while the one holding Laura’s entered in her pants. She guided Laura’s hand passing her panties, landing over her wet folds. Laura let out a warm breath.

“Can you feel it, Laura? How wet I am?” Laura only nodded. “Now…” Carmilla took Laura’s index finger and placed it over her clit. “Can you feel my clit? It’s really stiff, Laura. You know what that means, don’t you?” Laura nodded again, her pupils blown.

Carmilla retrieved Laura’s hand carefully, still holding her index finger. She guided her finger to her face, taking it in her sight. Then she opened her mouth and put Laura’s finger inside of her warmth mouth, sucking it and tasting her wetness. Laura’s jaw dropped. 

As soon as Carmilla pulled out Laura’s finger from her mouth, Laura was crashing in her mouth again, moaning at the kiss taste. Laura was eager than before. Maybe too much eager. Her hands were scraping Carmilla’s back fiercely, leaving red marks. Her mouth was hunger and her teeth was biting a little too much stronger than it should on Carmilla’s shoulder. Carmilla held Laura firmly, backing her up gently. “Easy there, Creampuff.”

 

When Carmilla took a hold on Laura’s gaze, she felt all the bad feelings coming again. The fears and low self esteem taking control over Laura. And before Laura could feel any worse or did some another impulse move, Carmilla gave her a smirk raising one brow “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”

 

Laura nodded, her face lighting up again. Carmilla held Laura’s hand and guided them to her bedroom. When they stood in front of Carmilla’s bed, Carmilla slowly took off her t-shirt, never breaking eye contact with Laura. Then, she reached for her pants, taking out with her underwear. Laura was panting, her eyes hypnotized by Carmilla’s body. She didn’t hold herself. She embraced Carmilla, throwing both over the bed. Her mouth was hungry again, biting and licking the other girl neck and shoulder. Her hands squeezing Carmilla’s breasts in fast motions. It was messy. And awkward. Carmilla tried to slow Laura’s movements, which helped her with the awkwardness, but she was not feeling the pleasure she wanted. Laura was like a wild animal, irrational and hunger.

 

Carmilla felt like a teenager again, been touched in sloppy ways, her partner aiming for fast results . After Laura started to straddle Carmilla, grinding on her hip, Carmilla finally felt less tense. Laura placed both of her hands on the mattress, on each side of Carmilla’s head, to give her traction. Her moans were increasing, until she stuffed her face on Carmilla’s shoulder. “Touch me.” She said in Carmilla’s ear.

 

Carmilla grabbed her hips, rolling them down. Now she was the one on top. She took both of Laura’s hand, pinning them above her head on the bed. Her face hovered above Laura, until she placed a gentle kiss on her housemate lips. Laura moaned. “Carmilla… just, fuck me, please.” Laura said almost in a whisper. Carmilla obeyed. She didn’t want to prolong that any longer. She placed her hands inside Laura’s pants and panties. Laura’s center was soaking wet. She brushed small circles on Laura’s clit. The girl was panting and moaning at the very first contact.

 

“Faster.” She demanded. Carmilla speeded up while her mouth was kissing Laura’s neck. At least she was finally enjoying something. “Faster.” Laura said again, her hips moving against Carmilla’s hand. Carmilla obeyed one more time. “Don’t stop.” And it was just a matter of seconds before Laura’s hips started to trembling. Laura’s toes was curved and her hands grasping the sheets. Carmilla eased her movements, while Laura gave her last shudders.

 

Carmilla fell by Laura’s side, catching her breath.

“That was…” Laura was breathless “… amazing!”

 

Carmilla gave a content smile to Laura. Well at least one of them enjoyed it. It was messy. It was weird. And fast. Carmilla was frustrated, but she understood. Laura was not herself. She stood up from the bed and pulled her sheets from the top of her mattress. Laura was watching her with attentive eyes. Carmilla was only wearing a sports bra, but she didn’t mind. She pulled the entire sheet from under Laura, then covered her with it. She climbed back into the bed, under the sheets, snuggling into Laura, her arm around her waist. Carmilla closed her eyes, taking in the scent of Laura on her bed.

 

“Good night, Cupcake.” She was tired. That day took all of her energy. And she was afraid Laura would just leave. She was still afraid she would do that even after Carmilla hold her. But Laura did no movement indicating she intended to leave.

“Good night, Carm.” Laura said after a brief moment of silent.

 

Carmilla finally felt that tension going away. Her first time with Laura could not be the best of her life, but at least she was feeling content in that moment. She gave Laura a good time, and her Cupcake was lying in her arms. That was enough for her.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up after a strange dreamless sleep. She felt like time hadn’t passed at all. But the clock on her bedside table was telling her it was 3 in the morning. Laura was wrapped up in her torso, legs tangled with her own. It had been a while since the last time she woke up like this. It was like that happened in like another lifetime ago. She brushed Laura’s hair lightly, inhaling her vanilla shampoo scent. She loved the way Laura smelled. She was never tired of it.

 

Even thought she felt she could be in that position forever, her body was complaining of the hours she stayed still like that. She tried to ignore the pain, but decided to move away from Laura’s weight before it would be impossible to be gentle about it. Luckily, Laura was sound asleep, and didn’t wake up after Carmilla left smoothly. She went to the kitchen and prepared a bowl of cereal. She took her bowl and spoon to the couch, turning the TV on to look for something to watch. She settled for a reality show about home improvement. That seems the kind of thing that could make her sleep again. But, actually, made her be even more awake. It was kind of interesting. After the second episode of the same show, Carmilla was intrigued how horrible places could be transformed into something so nice. She didn’t hear the steps coming from the hall.

 

“Hey.” Carmilla turned her head to a shy Laura standing a few feet away. An automatic smiled grew in her face.

“Hey.” Carmilla’s smile grew even more when she gestured for Laura to sit by her side. Laura was still a little ashamed, but smiling back to the sight of Carmilla.

Laura sat down, her legs pressed against Carmilla’s, her hands resting on her lap. “I knew you had some sort of guilt pleasure.” She said looking at the TV.

“It was supposed to make me sleep.” Carmilla shrugged and approached Laura’s upper space.

“Yeah, right.” Laura gave her a playful smile, her eyes taking glances at Carmilla’s lips.

“Feeling better?” Carmilla breathed deep, taking the smell of fresh mint in Laura’s mouth.

“Much better.” Laura nodded, blushing a little.

“Good.” Carmilla touched Laura’s jaw, her thump caressing her cheeks.

Slowly she pulled Laura’s face to her own, giving her housemate a sweet kiss. They broke for air after a few seconds, they foreheads rested on each other. After a brief break, Laura resume the kiss, tuning it to a different route. She was feeling her hormones taking control of her again, asking for more. She broke the kiss this time.

“Carmilla…”

“What?”

Laura opened her eyes “What are we doing?”

“Kissing.” Carmilla said with eyes still shut.

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

Carmilla opened her, seeing an insecure Laura. Carmilla moved away a little, her hands leaving Laura’s face. She didn’t know what to say, so she thought about their last conversation.   
When she was about to say something, Laura talked first. “I was feeling very tuned on. We had sex.”

“Yes.”

“And… you want to do it again.” Laura concluded.

“Yes.” Carmilla smiled.

“Like… more than once?”

“Yes, Cupcake.” Carmilla’s hand found Laura’s over her lap, giving it a light squeeze. “As much as you want.”

“So, are we going to be like sex buddies?” Laura asked with a high pitched voice.

That’s not really what she wanted to hear. No, not sex buddies. She wanted something more serious. And intimate. Like girlfriends.

“Is that what you want?”

“As much as embarrassing this is… it’s really something that I need.” Laura said apologetic. “I was not exaggerating when I said I was horny all the time. My hormones are driving me crazy.”

“So, you want it like right now?” Carmilla showed a teasing smile.

“To be honest I want it all the time.” Laura averted Carmilla’s eyes, blushing a little.

Carmilla laughed.

“I told you it’s embarrassing.” Laura playfully slapped Carmilla’s shoulder.

Carmilla saw how Laura’s was being honest, trusting in her something so personal. So private. She wanted so much more from Laura, but Laura was basically saying to her that’s all she could offer. Carmilla was not really surprised. Since the day she met Laura, she knew things would always be complicated between them. But there was a progress. Things changed. And she had hope. If was that all Laura could give her, she would take it. She could not bear the thought of losing everything.

“Well, as tempting is the thought of having sex all the time, all I can promise you is to have as much as my body can take.” Carmilla approached Laura giving her a quick peck. “And I need time for my work shifts, of course.”

“Are you saying you agree with my crazy idea?” Laura smile was back, full force.

“Yes, Laura. I am.”

Laura pulled Carmilla to an eager kiss. But she broke it again, looking concerned at Carmilla. “Don’t you think things will be weird between us?”

“Only if we make it.” Carmilla inclined and kissed Laura quickly “On my side is all good.”

“So, we are really going to do this?” Laura’s concern look was back with a small uneasy smile.

Carmilla cupped her cheeks. “Yes, Laura.” And another peck.

“You are saving my life, Carmilla.”

“I’m getting my fare share on this, Cupcake.” Carmilla gave Laura a smirk, one eyebrow up. “I meant it what I said. You are hot.”  
Laura blushed, smiling shyly, until another thought assaulted her mind. “Oh, we can’t say a word of this to anyone. Especially to Perry and Lafontaine.”

“Okay.” Carmilla nodded.

“So… how are you feeling for a little action now?” Laura touched Carmilla’s jaw playfully, her eyes lost in the perfect lines of her housemate face.

“Hum… I think I will enjoy that very much, but…” Carmilla sighed touching Laura’s shoulder “I want to take the lead this time.”

“But you were the one taking the lead the first time.”

“In what universe, Cupcake?”

“You know what I mean. I want you to have a good time too.”

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll lead, then you can have me. Twice.” Carmilla smirked and blinked with one eye. “Is this fair to you, justice lady?”

“Not really.” Laura shook her head, a goofy smile on her lips.

“Come on, you are the one needing this more, right? I don’t mind to be a giver.”

“I don’t want to be a pillow princess.”

“Pillow princess don’t do shit. You really are not one of them.” Carmilla brushed Laura’s hair, feeling her silk locks.

“Have you met one?” Laura was feeling more confident, displaying a teasing smile.

“I had my fair share of them.”

“Fair share?” Laura squinted her eyes “I wonder what your magic number is, Carmilla.”

Carmilla giggled and shook her head. She looked to her housemate with a smug smile, then inclined, her mouth ghosting on Laura’s ear. “It’s a secret.” She said whispering.

Laura felt a shiver running down her spine. “Yeah, mystery dame, take me to your bed.”

“I thought I was the one taking the lead.” Carmilla said looking in Laura’s eyes again.

“Alright.” Laura bit her lower lip. “You can call the shots”

Carmilla licked her lips watching Laura’s mouth “Let’s go to my bed.”

 

**+++**

 

The second time was different. A good different. Laura was more calmed and Carmilla took her time, kissing every inch of Laura’s skin, teasing with her teeth, feeling the intended response from Laura to every touch. It was more intense, but the intimacy she was looking for was not there yet. Laura was still eager and impatient.

 

“Cupcake…” Carmilla said after leaving a trail of kisses in Laura’s stomach, her head hovering just above the wet marks. She wanted to be extra careful, not stepping into any boundary she was not supposed to. Laura was new to her and she was in a very special situation, which was also new to Carmilla.

Laura looked down at Carmilla, still flushing and panting “Yes?”

“What do you feel about oral?” Carmilla asked with her husky voice.

Laura flushed even more “Alright, I think?”

Carmilla tilted her head down giving Laura another kiss closer to her navel, turning to look at the other girl again. The uncertainty in Laura’s answer was an indicative she was right. She needed to be extra careful. “It’s uncomfortable for you?”

“I don’t think so.” And there is was again, the apprehension.

Carmilla gave another kiss, this time on Laura’s navel inserting her tongue in it, soft at first, them a little stiff curling and licking from the bottom to the edge, in repetitive motions. Laura let out a muffled and long moan.

Carmilla raised her head again, a grin displayed with pride in her face “Have you done it?” After a beat, she rephrased her question “Have anyone went down on you?”

“No.” Laura voice was still weak from all of the new sensations, her eyes closed with pleasure “But I definitely want… to try.”

“I promise I’ll be gentle.” Carmilla looked expectantly to Laura. That’s all she was waiting to hear. After Laura’s gaze was back to Carmilla’s, she gave a nod to the girl hunched on her hips. In return, Carmilla gave Laura a very sassy look before she lowered herself to take in her sight Laura’s center.

Carmilla spread Laura legs widen, taken by the peculiar scent Laura exhaled. It was nothing like any other girl she had been with. In was different. A good different. She smiled. She could only imagined the taste. But not for too long. She kissed Laura’s left inner thigh, leaving a small trail until the edge of her lip. She felt a small tremble in Laura’s hip. She turned to the right side, doing the same. Laura’s hip spasms were even stronger this time, her wetness increasing. Carmilla kissed her very center, putting her tongue to good use.

Laura moaned and trembled with no control. Carmilla kept her promise to be gentle, but Laura was so sensitive that any minor gesture was too intense, was too much. Her mind were going to places she never been. Her body was feeling waves of pleasure she never felt before. Her eyes was watering and her emotions on the verge of her limits. It was too much and she felt oppressed. 

“Carm…” She said with a whining voice swirled in her panting and moans “…stop.”

Carmilla was so concentrated in her actions she almost didn’t hear Laura’s claiming. She was in her own dazzle of feeling and pleasure, tasting the best girl she ever had. What could be wrong? She looked up to Laura, concern printed on her face.

“This is... too much” Laura said.

“Too much?” Carmilla repeated, her eyebrows pushed together.

“I don’t know if I can take this… it’s too much.” Laura’s voice was cracking with every word.

Carmilla cleaned her mouth on her sheet, propping herself up into the bed, her hands reaching Laura’s face, wiping the tears from her face. “Did I hurt you, Laura?”

“No.” Laura’s hands loosed their grip on the sheets, and also wiped her face. Carmilla placed her hand gently on Laura’s hair, combing it out of her face. “It’s just… I never felt this much pleasure in bed. It’s overwhelm…” She took more deep breaths and calmed herself a bit. Carmilla kissed her temple lightly. Laura finally faced her sex buddy “I felt I was going to die.”

“You are not going to die, Laura.” Carmilla gave her a warm smile and another kiss on her temple. “I think you are not used to this. It’s not really a big deal.”

“How not?” Laura looked indignant to Carmilla “It’s not like I’m a virgin. I have years of experience.”

“Well, maybe it was not so good before?” Carmilla suggested trying to hide the smugness tone on her voice.

“That can’t be possible.” Laura shook her head. “Sex always felt great. I had tones of orgasms, especially with Danny.”

The name of the tall ginger felt like a kick in the pit of Carmilla’s stomach, but she choose to ignore it. “Have you?”

“What do you mean? Of course I had a lot of…” She snapped “I know what an orgasm is Carmilla, I did have plenty of them.”

“Laura, I’m not doubting you” she raised her shoulders “Maybe it’s because you are pregnant?”

Laura looked a little relieved with that possibility. “Yeah. I think that makes sense.”

“And also, there are your hormones.” Carmilla presented another good reason to reassure and calm Laura.

“Right.” Laura finally smiled again. “Yes, you are right. That’s a good explanation.”

Carmilla smiled back to Laura, making herself comfortable embracing Laura’s waist, snuggling her face in the other girl’s hair. Laura was feeling peaceful again and a bit tired.

“I’m sorry.” She said, almost drifting to sleep.

“For what?” Carmilla said in her hair.

“For not returning the favor. Again.” She took Carmilla’s hand and placed a kiss on her fingers, resting them on her chest, their finger interlaced.

“Don’t worry about it.” Carmilla’s heart was beating fast with that soft kiss on her hand.

“I own you 3 orgasms.” She giggled “I won’t forget.”

Carmilla took a long and deep breath, feeling her eyelids getting heavy. She knew Laura was also drained. “Good night, Cupcake.”

“Good night… Carm.”

Carmilla thought about the crazy last 12 hours or so. How much had changed in that time. And how much stayed the same. She didn’t think about the future, just the present. Because even though the present was not perfect, she could not think about any other moment in her life she felt that happy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote some scenes of this chapter before I had published the first chapter. Smut is never easy, but I tried.


	10. How Soon is Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Laura have to deal with their new arrangement and they make new discoveries about each other. A whole new world is open to Laura, while Carmilla have another delicate decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got so carried away with these two that I had to split the chapter in two, but in the end they are two whole chapters. So, the next will be up really soon.

**Chapter 10 – How Soon is Now**

 

Laura felt like everything in the world was right again. The sky was blue. The cool air of the morning was refreshing. Her stomach was not fighting her food anymore. And her mind was not replaying the same mantra over and over. The desire and lust were still there, but in a very manageable way. That was the first morning Carmilla didn’t prepare her breakfast. If Carmilla would be awake in that morning, Laura was sure she was the one who would prepare the food, not Carmilla. Because she owned so much to Carmilla. She could not believe her housemate accepted her deal. She felt really lucky.

 

There were some concerns too, of course. She knew she had feelings for Carmilla, but she was not sure of the extension of them. And with sex in the mix, things were even more clouded. She knew the risks. But she also could not imagine how she would do it without Carmilla, she was getting literally crazy with her hormones dominating her thoughts and actions. She tried to avoid Carmilla, but her body didn’t listen to her. And her idea to sleep with Donna was the worst ever, she could admit it now. This just proves how unstable she was. And, yeah, that never stopped to make her feel ashamed.

 

The best part of all of this was how Carmilla was so patience with her. And so good in bed. She was really unbelievable. How she could manage to be single all of this time? It was a mystery to Laura. Yeah, another mystery about Carmilla Karnstein. The girl was intriguing Laura at every turn. Maybe she could use this new closeness with each other to dig a little more. Yeah, she was really curious.

 

Getting in her office, Laura was greeted by her co-workers like always.

“There is something different about you this morning.” Said Lafontaine scratching their chin.

Perry looked at them then back to Laura.

“Different how?” Laura asked oblivious to her assistant interest.

“I don’t know, you look really happy, glowing like the sun itself.” 

Perry raised one eyebrow, walking in their direction and placing her hand over their shoulder, standing behind their back. “That’s probably the pregnancy glowing.” She made a pointed pause, smiling to Laura “It was about time.”

“Do you really think?” Laura asked to Perry, her smile lighting up her face.

“I’m sure, honey.” Perry nodded pressing her hands firm on Lafontaine’s shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s it.” They said with a forced smile.

“Oh, thanks guys.”

 

**+++**

 

Despite been sexually frustrated, Carmilla woke up in a very good mood in that evening. Laura was not there, but Carmilla hugged the pillow Laura used, it smelled like her. After a few minutes thinking about the last events, Carmilla wanted do to something she didn’t do for a while. After showering and taking a bowl of cereal, she set her computer over her lap in the living room and typed for hours. She was not sure what was that exactly, all she knew she was writing what was in her mind. A little of poetry, some prose, some loose sentences. Feelings and actions. She wrote not caring about the shape or the purpose, she just wrote down what felt right.

 

Around 7, Laura was back from work, with a different smile in her face.

“Hey!” She yelled at the door to Carmilla. “What are you doing?” She asked with a playful voice while Carmilla was still typing a feel words in her laptop.

“Nothing really.” Carmilla shrugged smiling back to Laura.

“Ok.” Laura displayed a goofy smile to Carmilla “I’ll take a quick shower, but I’ll be right back.” 

Carmilla didn’t have time to say anything else, Laura was sprinting to the bathroom in no time. She laughed to herself. _This girl is going to be the death of me._

 

Carmilla saved her progress and turned off her computer, returning it to her bedroom. The place was a mess, so Carmilla took the opportunity to clean things a bit. After she made her bed nicely, Laura was at her doorframe, cleaning her throat to announce her presence. Carmilla almost fell over the bed when she saw Laura leaning with just a pair of white lacy underwear. She knew in that exactly moment that her bed would be messy again in a matter of seconds.

 

“Hey, Lady Killer.” Laura approached Carmilla with slow steps. She grabbed Carmilla’s shoulders and motion for her housemate to sit in the end of the bed.

Carmilla sat down barely steadying herself with her right hand, and Laura made herself comfortable on her lap, facing her. Carmilla’s heart was beating like she just had run a marathon. Laura brushed Carmilla’s hair while she spoke.

“So… I was waiting all day to pay you back, Carmilla.” Laura bit her lower lip, her eyes intense over Carmilla’s.

“Really?” 

Laura nodded. “You have been so patience with me, and so giving… I want you to feel good too. You deserve this.” She kissed Carmilla lightly on her lips “You are my hero.”

“It’s not a big deal, Cupcake.”

“Yeah, it is.” Laura tugged Carmilla’s t-shirt, taking it out with Carmilla’s help. Her left hand brushed the other girl’s back, while the right pulled her chin to give her a deep kiss, Laura’s tongue was hungry for contact.

And like Laura promised, she did her best to give Carmilla a good time. She took her time not rushing to anything. Her mind was more clear and focused than the previous times. After the second orgasm she gave Carmilla that evening, she was laying on Carmilla’s chest, happy about the sounds she made Carmilla produce.

“Cupcake, you are on fire.” Carmilla said breathless.

Laura giggled, listing to the frenetic sound of Carmilla’s heart. “Did you like it?” She raised her head to face Carmilla.

“I loved.” Carmilla brushed her hair.

“Well, one more to go.”

Carmilla looked at her clock, she should be in her work in 1 hour.

“I need to go to work soon.”

“So, I think we can’t waist another second.” Laura kissed Carmilla again, biting her lower lip.

“Not so fast, I need to breath.” Carmilla chuckled at Laura eagerness. “Are you sure you don’t want me to touch you at least once?”

“This is about you Carmilla.” Laura returned to her previous position over Carmilla’s chest, her hand drawing patters over Carmilla’s stomach. “And I’m feeling great pleasuring you. It’s been a while.”

“So, you like to be a giver too?”

“It’s half of the fun. Don’t you think?” She looked amused to Carmilla.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Carmilla was patting her hair again.

“I was thinking… I want to taste you too. You know?” Laura was looking a bit worried.

Carmilla smiled. “I know what you mean. You don’t even need to ask.”

“Well, you asked me.”

“Because it was new, and I think consent it’s important.”

“So, it’s that a yes?”

“Laura, I need to be honest with you.” Carmilla sighed “I don’t have much restrictions. I like to try new things, always.”

Laura held a giggle “You made me even more curious about you, do you know that?”

“If you are curious, just make me questions. Maybe I’ll answer them.”

“Maybe?” Laura wonder for a while “Ok, not right now, I have better things to do.”

Laura started to kiss Carmilla neck, then kept a trail of kisses until she was facing Carmilla’s center. It was all new to her in a sense. She panic a little, then returned back her face closer to Carmilla’s.

“I really don’t know what to do.” Laura said with puppy eyes.

Carmilla gave a warm smile to her “Just… got with your gut, Cupcake. Don’t be afraid to do whatever you want.”

“Right.” Laura nodded, but didn’t move.

Carmilla noticed her insecurity and gave more advises “You can just lick, or kiss, or suck, it’s really good too. You can also use your fingers, whatever you want. And if you do something I don’t like, you will know.”

“Ok.” Laura kissed Carmilla lips before she returned to her previous position. She was feeling more confident.

She acted with caution at first, testing the ground. It was a new sensation, strange but good. Carmilla felt so much soft in her mouth than in her fingers, she finally understood why some people love it. She noticed Carmilla’s reaction to every move she made, and she was looking for a solid pattern to take Carmilla to the moon.

“You don’t have to rush, Creampuff. Take your time.” Carmilla said between moans.

Laura looked at Carmilla nodding and smiling. If she knew how good that was she would had tried that in high school, not so late in her life. But, it was better latter than never.

 

That was also the first time she was tasting Carmilla. She was different than Danny, but she like it. Danny was not bad, just different. For some reason, she liked Carmilla more. Maybe it’s because she is getting it direct from the source, but she was not sure. Carmilla exhaled seduction, and even a well directed stare could make Laura to melt like ice cream in a summer day.

 

Carmilla’s moans was increasing, and her hips started to react, rocking and trembling. Laura gripped Carmilla’s thighs with both hands. She finally found a pattern, a routine that made Carmilla arched in pleasure. And it didn’t took too long before Carmilla was reaching her peak for the third time in that evening.

 

Laura had a huge grin displayed in her face, she was so pride of her accomplishment. She was about to clean her face with her hand when Carmilla pulled her hand, gesturing for Laura to get closer. She licked Laura’s lips, still breathless. Laura smiled at the clumsy gesture and waited for Carmilla to be less panting to place a deep kiss in her.

 

They laid there for a while, before Carmilla looked at her clock again. She got 30 minutes to be in her work. If she just left now and took a quick shower, she would be there in time. But she didn’t want to leave like that. Her hand traveled Laura’s body, ending in her soaked folds.

 

“Cupcake, we have to do something about it.” Laura looked at the clock too. She knew Carmilla should be there by 11.

“Carm, you will be late. Don’t worry about me, I meant it.”

“Not fair.” Carmilla said in Laura’s ear, holding her housemate by her waist, rolling them on bed, switching positions. “I’ll be quick.”

Her hand was back in Laura’s center performing a technique she learned from Elsie. Laura loved the fast motions, so this should work like a charm. It took exactly 5 minutes to Carmilla make Laura come in her hands. Carmilla kissed Laura’s temple before she urged to the shower. _Can’t work smelling like sex, Kirsch will tease me forever._

 

Laura stayed in bed, blushing and breathless. That was the best orgasm of her life.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla got in her work on time. Luckily she lived really close to there, and the lasted activities didn’t drain her so much as she thought it would. To be honest she was feeling even more energetic to face her shift. She could not avoid the huge grin in her face. That evening with Laura was amazing. For a moment she was afraid she would never be able to have an enjoyable sex experience with Laura. That would be the biggest irony of her life. Falling in love with someone she was not compatible in bed. Yes, falling in love. There was no doubt after all she has been through. She loved Laura. She wanted to spend all of her time with her, finding new ways to pleasure her. To make her happy.

 

Her mind was racing with new ideas. She could not make the same mistakes again. What happened with Ell was terrible, but it could happen with Laura too. She needed to be honest with Laura. No lies, no secrets. She decided: Laura had to know about C.M. Arcillma.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla planned her strategy to tell one of her biggest secrets to Laura. She would take her out in one of her days off, to her favorite night club, The Panther. They would dance and have a good time. Laura was always worried about her work and her baby, a break in her routine would set her in a good mood. Then Carmilla would bring her home and tell her the news: she was a femslash author. Laura was already a fan of her work, Carmilla didn’t need to explain what was that about, just her reasons. But one thing was to like those stories, another was to accept that the person who wrote them was also her housemate/sex buddy. Laura didn’t seem to be a hypocrite, but you never know.

 

When Ell discovered Carmilla’s drafts, she didn’t freak out. She didn’t say Carmilla was a pervy or a freak. Maybe if she did that, saying in out loud, it would have been better. No, Ell didn’t yell, or fight. Ell pity Carmilla. She looked at her like a mental case she needed to work on. She tried to analyze Carmilla, like she was her own guinea pig.

 

It took a while for Carmilla to notice her girlfriend was never going to treat her like a normal person again. It hurt so much. She felt like her heart was in pieces, crushed bit by bit every time Ell said another stupidity like “This is probably a reflex of your sad childhood” or “This is just a need to fill a void left by something missing in your life” or even “I read somewhere there is this treatment for it, you are going to feel so much better.” She shook her head to push away her painful thoughts, while she walked back home. She could only hope Laura would accept her for who she was. A writer. Just a writer.

 

Carmilla was welcome in her home with the smell of bacon. Laura was rushing over the stove, dealing with hot frying pans.

 

“Hey, Cupcake.” Carmilla said when she landed her bag on one stool.

“Can’t talk now.” Laura said briefly over her shoulder. She was red and sweating. There was only one situation Carmilla had seen Laura like that. And that was never around a stove.

 

Laura was so adorable cooking, Carmilla just wanted to hug and kiss her in that moment. But it didn’t seem like the best thing to do. She walked to the fridge and looked at her schedule. Her next day off would be in the next Monday. Laura’s day off was usually at Mondays and Tuesdays (but not always). Carmilla had the Monday off, then the Wednesday, her boss did the schedule with no criteria at all. Her days were always random like that. Kirsch always had the Tuesdays so she texted him asking to switch with her.

 

“Excuse me” Laura said passing almost hitting her.

Carmilla could feel the tension taking over Laura’s body. She wanted to say something to calm her friend, but decided it would be better if she just sat on the couch, where she could wait for Kirsch answer.

 

“Hey.” Laura was waiting anxiously after a few minutes, a few feet away by the couch, her hands resting in her waist.

Carmilla was finishing reading Kirsch’s text when she looked at Laura. “Smelling good, Cupcake.”

“Breakfast is served.” She made a dramatic and goofy motion to the kitchen. _So, so cute._

Carmilla eye’s was surprised by the amount of food Laura made. Eggs, bacon, pancakes and waffles. 

“I only knew you liked pancakes, I’m not sure about the rest, so I did everything.” Laura felt great about her stunt. She was able to cook a lot of things without burning anything.

Carmilla was looking to the feast like a child with a new toy. “So, what do you think?” Laura said feeling a little nervous with Carmilla’s silence.

“I think you are amazing, Cupcake.” Carmilla pulled Laura’s hand, bringing her closer enough to give her a passionate kiss. “I like everything.”

“Really?” Laura said a little dazzled by the kiss.

“I love breakfast food.”

“Me too.”

They sat down on the kitchen island and attacked the food.

“Oh my God. This is amazing.” Carmilla produced a moan rolling her eyes with the taste of the eggs and the bacon.

“Who is the one making nasty sounds now?” Laura said with a playful smile, one eyebrow raised.

“I’m not in public, I can make all the sounds that I want.” Carmilla said with her mouth full.

“Talking about it” Laura looked cautioned to Carmilla “Are you up for more activities?”

“Sure.” Carmilla gave her a smirk. “But we need to talk before.”

“About what?”

“Let’s eat first.”

 

They ate almost everything. Carmilla was starving, but Laura did a lot of food, so they had some left overs. Everything tasted delicious. But Carmilla was not sure if she would have the disposition for the activities Laura wanted to do latter.

 

After they finished, Laura was taking care of the dishes, but Carmilla pulled her gently from the kitchen, saying she would deal with that latter, taking Laura to the living room. They sat down at the couch.

 

“So…” Carmilla begun. “I wanted to show you something, since you always complain about my mysteries and all of that crap.”

“Wow” Laura said raising one finger “I don’t complain about your mysteries.” 

“You don’t?” Laura shook her head. “So you don’t say ‘Oh Carmilla tell me your magic number? Carmilla what are typing there? Carmilla, why so mystery?’” Carmilla mimic Laura voice and gestures.

Laura features dropped and she crossed her arms. “I don’t talk like that! And I don’t want you to feel forced to tell me things just because I’m curious, it’s just who I am I can’t help. You don’t have to tell me crap.”

“I know.” Carmilla said apologetic. This is not what she intended. “That’s not why I want to tell you, or better show you. Or both. I’m just…” Carmilla pulled her hair from her eyes. “I want to take you to this place and I managed to push my days off to match yours, so we can have a good time without care about our work or our shifts.”

“Have a good time?” Laura said suspicious, arms still crossed. “Where do you want to take me?”

“It’s a club. The Panther, have you been there?” Laura shook her head. Carmilla continued “It’s like the only queer club in town and it’s a nice place to hang out, and it’s also part of what I want to tell so, I thought we could enjoy a break from our routines while you learn something about me. Do you like to dance?”

Laura pondered for a minute, her features soften “Yes…”

“So, do you want to go there next Tuesday night? It’s closed on Mondays.”

Laura was pounting and Carmilla almost smirked at the sight. Carmilla extended her hand and touched Laura’s crossed arms “It will be very important to me.” 

“Fine.” Laura said. She sighed. “I need to go work.” She uncross her arms and was about to leave when Carmilla reached for her hand.

“Hey, didn’t you want a little ‘hormones control’ before you go to work?”

“I wanted, I do want to but…” She looked sympathetic to Carmilla. “You ate more than you should, I don’t want you to have an indigestion.”

“Not my fault you cooked some amazing food.” She shrugged. Laura rolled her eyes and motion to move again. “Come here.” Carmilla pulled Laura again “sit here” she gesture for her lap.

“Are you sure?” Laura said with a high pitch voice.

“Absolutely.” Carmilla had a lot of tricks in her sleeve. She thought she would eventually use all of them with Laura. Maybe she should pay Elsie a visit to learn something more. But just theoretically, of course.

 

Laura sat down lying her back on Carmilla’s chest, still wearing her PJs. Carmilla started to kiss Laura’s neck while her hands cupped Laura’s breasts. She needed to be extra careful with Laura’s boobs, they were extra sensitive lately, what also was a good thing to make Laura even more aroused (not that it was really necessary). Laura was rapidly melting into Carmilla’s touch. Carmilla went from one side of her neck to the other, keeping the teasing on Laura’s nipples. Then her right hand left one boob to snake around Laura’s belly, until it reached her panties. Laura led out a sharp breath with Carmilla’s touch. And with every motion of Carmilla’s hand, Laura met her thrusts with her hip.

 

Carmilla bite Laura’s shoulder lightly, feeling a wave of pleasure hitting her too. She wasn’t planning in get her off too. Laura reached her orgasm, but never stopping her hip to thrust on Carmilla’s. And less than a minute Carmilla was coming too. Laura turned so she could face Carmilla, planting in her a languid kiss.

 

“This was incredible.” Laura said brushing Carmilla’s hair from her face. Giving her a peck in her forehead.

“Ditto.” Carmilla smiled goofy, then licked her fingers. She would never get enough of that taste.

Laura kissed Carmilla on her lips again. “I need to go. Thank you for that.”

“Thank you for breakfast.” Carmilla fell on her sides after Laura left. _Yes, she is going to be the death of me._

 

**+++**

 

The next 5 days passed quickly. Laura and Carmilla were having sex every morning and every night. Carmilla admitted her work schedule was a pain in the ass to match with Laura’s. The only good thing was their Mondays off. She missed Laura when she was working. And Laura missed her when she looked at her phone only seen Carmilla’s night texts. Carmilla never complained about all the sex she was having. Sex with Laura was the best of her life. And every time it was even better. It was not just something to give her pleasure. Day after day, night after night, she was feeling the connection she was looking for since day one. They were not wandering into unknown territories any more, but to a place where they could feel comfort and reciprocity.

 

She knew Laura never promised her anything beyond sex, but she felt what they have was much more. It was the way Laura held her. The way she was eager to touch her, to pleasure her. The way they could talk about sex without restrictions. The way she cooked her favorite food for her. And how she was always kissing her. Laura must felt something too, Carmilla thought. Maybe she could not see that yet. Laura had the tendency to be oblivious, especially to the most obvious things. But all of that only made Carmilla more sure about her resolution. And more nervous too. When she got home on Monday morning, ready for her first day off of the week, Laura was a nervous wreck. They was so lost into each other, that the house chores were getting behind.

 

Carmilla helped Laura to clean things, but not for too long. In the middle of the afternoon she slept on the couch while she was folding their laundry (Laura had all of their clothes washed in that morning). She woke up hours latter covered by a blanked, all the clothes missing. She stood up and walked lazy to the bathroom, her bladder was really full.

 

She didn’t notice that the bathroom light was on. Or that that was someone in the tub, or that the person in the tub was Laura, touching herself. Carmilla only noticed the wide eyes staring at her, when she was mid way of her peeing.

 

“Oh, I didn’t see you there.” Carmilla said still sleepy while she reached for the toilet paper.

“Cleary.” Laura said covering herself with bubbles, her face flushed bright red.

“Sorry for interrupting.” Carmilla brushed her messy hair from her face, looking more clearly to Laura.

“No problem.”

 

Carmilla flushed the toilet and pulled up her pants. She closed the lid and sat down on the toilet again. She studied Laura’s face for a bit.

“Are you not going to finish?” she asked casually.

Laura looked even more surprised. “Now?”

Carmilla shrugged. “Why not?”

Laura was taken aback. Carmilla was really something. “Not with you staring at me.”

“Why not?” Carmilla asked casually again.

“Be-because…” Laura kept stuttering, not forming a full sentence.

“Have you never watched someone masturbating?”

If it was possible Laura was blushing even more. “No.” she said with a defensive voice.

“It’s really sexy.” Carmilla said with her husky voice. She stood up and walked to the sink, washing her hands and her face from her sleepy. She turned back to Laura, reclining her back on the sink, while she wiped her hands. Laura was still confused “Don’t you think?”

“I think so.” Laura said in a mix of feelings. Dazzled. Shy. Horny. All of that.

“Do you mind if I joining you?” Carmilla inclined herself in the tub, raising her ass above her “I really need a shower.”

“Of course not.” Laura said with a goofy smile. Carmilla kept her classic smirk while she got undress.

 

She thought how adorable Laura was when she was so self conscious. After a whole week of sex and intimacy her housemate was still ashamed at Carmilla. She was content to see how her Cupcake could still surprise her after all the things they made for each other. And even after Laura saw her naked all those days, she was still in awe with another moment Carmilla was present herself like she arrived in this world. She entered the tub carefully, leaning her back on the opposite side from Laura. She reached for the luffa and put some soap on it, brushing her arms and legs. Laura kept staring at her with her mouth opened.

 

“Want to help me out here, Cutie?” Carmilla suggested with a playful smile. Laura nodded, so Carmilla turned herself, giving her back and the luffa for Laura. Laura felt her mouth dry, while she brushed Carmilla’s back. After a while the luffa felt from her hand, but she kept brushing Carmilla’s back. Carmilla was like a magnet to Laura, and she decrease the space between them, touching Carmilla’s back with her boobs. Carmilla let out a soft moan, tilting her head to the side. Laura automatic occupied the new space, propping a wet kiss on Carmilla’s neck.

 

Carmilla slipped her right hand to her own clit, drawing light circles. It took a while for Laura to notice what Carmilla was doing. She embraced Carmilla fully, using her right hand to massage Carmilla’s right boob, while the other caressed her belly. Her eyes was taking glances at Carmilla’s hand moving over clit, while she kept kissing and nipping Carmilla’s shoulder and earlobe. When Carmilla was almost coming, Laura cupped both Carmilla’s breasts, helping her to reach her climax. Carmilla trembled in full bliss over Laura’s grip relaxing her head on the other girl chest.

 

“You were right.” Laura said breaking the long silence. “This is very sexy.”

“Told you.” Carmilla turned and kissed Laura.

Carmilla returned to the other end of the tub, taking back the luffa to wipe her chest facing Laura. The other woman started to bit her lower lip, feeling her mouth dry again. Even inside the bathtub Laura knew how much she was wet, craving for the release she never got. Carmilla kept giving her a dirty look, never stopping to brushing her breasts.

 

Laura knew what Carmilla wanted. She didn’t have to say it. Carmilla always had something new to bring to their relationship. Laura had no idea how Carmilla would come up with all of that scenarios and possibilities. She was nothing like Danny, but all of that was familiar somehow. Not from any previous experience, that’s for sure. Maybe it was something she read on Arcillma’s books. Yes, that’s right. Carmilla was like a combination of Mircalla and Vampira. And that conclusion only made Laura craving an orgasm even more. So she did it, the thing she never did in front of anyone. Not even her exes.

 

Laura touched herself, staring to Carmilla the whole time. Carmilla intense gaze on her made her feel even more turned on. Carmilla noticed all of Laura’s gestures, all of her limbs moving, her toes curling, her belly muscles contracting, her breathing increasing at every second, her boobs bouncing with every thrust from her fingers. Laura free hand massaged her left nipple, mirroring Carmilla’s gesture.

 

Carmilla wanted to jump over Laura and touch every inch of her, but she held herself. She was doing this for Laura, not for herself. After Laura exploded in an intense moan, she let herself sink in the hot water, letting out air bubbles. When she emerged, Carmilla’s face was right in front of her.

 

“It was good for you, Cupcake?” she said with a raised brow.

“The best orgasm ever.” Laura said still getting her breath back, eyes closed.

“You said that the last time we had sex.” That was a trace of disappointment in Carmilla’s voice.

“Let me refrain this… the best orgasm I ever had touching myself.” She wiped her face before she opened her eyes again to meet Carmilla snarky smile.

“Better.” Carmilla gave her a peck.

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” Laura slapped Carmilla’s shoulder lightly.

“Oh, so you don’t need me anymore, I got the message.” Carmilla said threatening to leave the tub.

“Come here.” Laura said in a playful tone, pulling Carmilla back to her. “I need you.” She kissed Carmilla quickly “I’m always going to need you.” She kissed Carmilla again more passionate this time. And they both engaged in the most torrid make out session they ever had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the amazing comments and kudos. I'm really happy to get some feedback from you.


	11. Mircalla’s Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Laura have a night full of surprises at The Panther.

**Chapter 11 - Mircalla’s Night**

 

Carmilla was awaken by a delicious familiar smell. As soon as her conscience was full back, her thoughts were wandering to the last moment she was awaken, lying in that same bed, Laura’s bed, having sex with her. They came from the bathroom with their bodies still wet and burning with passion. It was not perfect, but it just felt right. They were hunger for each other. She could still feel Laura’s eyes staring at her soul. That didn’t feel like just sex. It was like making love. Yes, she and Laura made love for the first time. Because she didn’t just felt desired, but also loved. Loved by every touch of Laura. By every kiss and every time her name was called. She was not just imagining it. She knew it. Laura said it minutes prior to their arrival at that bed, that she always would need Carmilla. “Stay still my heart.” Carmilla said under her breath. She stood up from Laura’s bed going in the direction of that wonderful smell.

 

“I love when you wake me up like this.” Carmilla said opening up a cardboard box of The Darling Mansion over the kitchen’s counter.

“Hey, sleephead”, Laura said turning herself from the fridge. “Wow, you must be really hungry, huh?”

Carmilla acknowledge her lack of clothes while chewing her slice of pepperoni. “Nothing you have never seen before.”

Laura placed two glasses and filled them up with grape soda “By the way” she approached Carmilla “That was just amazing.”

“I thought so.” Carmilla said with a light blush.

“But, you know” Laura gulped a sip of her soda “You walking naked around the house do not help my hormones situation, at all.” She took a last look at Carmilla perfect curves.

“Alright, I’ll get dress.” Carmilla said with a teasing smile setting her pizza back in the box and leaving for her bedroom.

“I would totally go for another round.” Laura said under her breath.

 

After a few minutes Carmilla was back wearing a ripped jeans and a black t-shirt. Laura tried to ignore the way Carmilla’s clothes was affecting her. _Damn it, Laura, you just had sex. Get yourself together. ___

__“So, this Panther club, what they play?” Laura asked to distract her mind._ _

__“A little bit of everything. Good music, bad music, old music, new music.”_ _

__“How specific.”_ _

__Carmilla chuckled “I’m not into what they play there, so I don’t really care.”_ _

__“If you don’t care about the music, what do you do in there?”_ _

__“Wait and see.” Carmilla winked to her. Laura was feeling her hormones poking her again. So much for a distraction._ _

__“I-I think it’s getting late.” Laura looked at the kitchen clock, it was 8 in the night. “I’ll hit the bed.”_ _

__“But it’s really early, Cupcake, even for you. Are you not going to have more pizza?”_ _

__“I had enough.” Laura said licking her fingers._ _

__Carmilla noticed something shifting in Laura mood, she learned to read some of the Laura’s patterns behavior, and this was one of her classics: she was feeling embarrassing about her hormones getting the best of her again._ _

__“Come here.” Carmilla got out of her stool embracing Laura from behind her. She placed a soft kiss on Laura’s check and patted her belly “Wow!”_ _

__“What?” Laura had her eyes closed, her body was easily melting under Carmilla’s touch. _I’m a lost cause. _She thought.___ _

____“Your belly.” Carmilla smiled against Laura’s cheek. “I can finally feel your tiny human in here. You have a bump.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah.” Laura turned and kissed Carmilla’s lips. “It’s been a week since I noticed too.”_ _ _ _

____“Fifteen weeks, right?” Carmilla was slowly rocking Laura body._ _ _ _

____“Yes,” Laura was feeling a little better about her cravings. But just a little._ _ _ _

____“How I did not notice it before? It’s quite big.” Carmilla pulled up Laura’s hem shirt and stepped forward to take a better look of her belly._ _ _ _

____“Maybe because you didn’t feel my belly before to know the difference.” Laura shrugged looking amused at Carmilla’s goofy smile._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, looking at your profile I can clearly see your lovely bump.”_ _ _ _

____Laura looked like she had an idea. “Take a picture for me.” She reached for her phone over the coffee table and gave it to Carmilla._ _ _ _

____Carmilla took the cell phone and opened the photo app “Do you know how big they are?”_ _ _ _

____“The size of an orange.” Laura said making a pose._ _ _ _

____Carmilla positioned the phone and took a couple of shots. “Now, turn your face to me.” Laura turned and automatic displayed a smile. Carmilla took a lovely picture with a smiling and happy Laura. “Send them to me.” She handed the phone back to Laura “I don’t have your picture in my phone.”_ _ _ _

____“Right.” Laura was back in the photo app again. “Hey!” She pointed it to Carmilla taking a shot of her._ _ _ _

____“Not fair, Cupcake.” Carmilla crossed her arms, she was not prepare for the surprise picture._ _ _ _

____“So, smile to me, Ms Broody.” She snapped another photo with Carmilla flipping her finger for her while presenting her classic smirk. “This will be perfect for your profile in my phone.”_ _ _ _

____Laura looked at the first picture she took and Carmilla was really good in that one, with an honest smile. “Oh no, this one is much better. So you.” She showed her picture to Carmilla who was not expecting that smile either._ _ _ _

____“This is nothing like me.” She said in a defensive tone._ _ _ _

____“It is to me.” Laura kissed her cheek and put Carmilla’s picture in her phone profile id._ _ _ _

____Carmilla looked at the clock again, they had more than 24 hours before they date to The Panther, and she was not feeling tired to sleep again._ _ _ _

____“The place is clean, what about a little Buffy marathon?” Laura asked with a happy tone. She loved to watch Buffy with Carmilla, she made the best jokes about vampires._ _ _ _

____“Sure.”  
_ _ _ _

 

Laura and Carmilla watched 2 episodes. It was a new record. Because Laura was stealing glances at Carmilla at every minute into the third episode. Carmilla knew what she wanted. She was losing the count of the times they did it that day. Or in the last 24 hours. They perception of a day differed quite a lot. So they did it in the couch. Then in the bedroom again. And while Laura was sleep soundly in her bed, Carmilla was in her own bedroom writing for the second time in that week. Maybe she had a new novel idea on her hands. Maybe.

 

**+++**

 

When the morning came, Carmilla was sleeping in her bed. Laura looked at the fridge and found it almost empty. She didn’t remember the last time she or Carmilla went out for grocery shopping. She made a list first, she was a disaster going shopping, without a list she would buy a lot of unnecessary things. She listed all she needed, some basic cleaning products for the house and some candy too, she was not made of tin after all.

 

When she was wandering in the supermarket aisles, she faced one she always avoided: the baby aisle. She didn’t want to buy things so soon, she had to wait until she would have a house to storage all of the things she wanted. And with short money, she really needed to make a proper list before she went to crazy shop mode. But a cute outfit called her attention. It was a 2 piece in a hanger, a black t-shirt with “Mama Rocks” printed on the front and a pair of black jeans. She could imagine a tiny Carmilla wearing them. It was the size for a 6 months old, but Laura couldn’t resist, and she just bought it.

 

And when she was back at the apartment, she cursed herself from all of the trouble carrying the bags from her car and then from the elevator. She would bring Carmilla next time, for sure. When she unpacked the tiny outfit, she felt frustrated. Then just sad. By the time she stuffed the baby clothes in the back of her closed, she was feeling pathetic. Why she bought something for her baby that reminded her of Carmilla? She was not their mother. Yes, she was so nice to her, and also so loving with everything related to the baby, but the reality should not be ignore. Carmilla was just her sex buddy and her housemate.

 

Yes, she liked Carmilla, maybe a lot. Maybe more than she should, but Carmilla would never want anything more than that. Laura said that to herself a million times. But if it was necessary, she would say another million more. But having the best sex of her life with Carmilla was not making it easy. She could not have her heart broke again. She needed it whole, for her baby. For their future.

 

She decided to take a nap before her date with Carmilla later, or she would not endure a night out. She was really curious about the mystery revealing thing, but also very clueless of what that was about.

 

**+++**

 

“Cupcake? Hey Cupcake, wake up.” Carmilla said gently by Laura’s ear, while brushing her arm.

“I’m up.” Laura mumbled only moving her lips.

“No, you’re not. Come on you have to get ready.” Carmilla said gently again.

Laura rolled to her other side “I’m going.” But she just stayed there moveless.

Carmilla leaned over Laura again, climbing up the bed, propping herself in her knees and both hands “I’m wearing leather pants.” 

“No, you’re not.” Laura replied in her sleepy voice.

“Don’t believe me?” Carmilla crouched and reached for Laura’s hand and guided it to her thigh “Can you feel it, Cupcake? It’s my pants.”

A warm feeling was traveling Laura’s limbs until it reached her mind. The situation was very familiar to her first sex experience with Carmilla. “I’m up.” She said again, really opening her eyes this time.

“Good.” Carmilla smiled to her dropping her hand and leaving the bed. “I’m waiting for you in the living room, don’t take too long, I don’t want to get there too late. It will be very crowded.”

Laura nodded looking speechless to Carmilla. Her dark hair were nicely combed into straight locks. On her face, her usual black eyeliner and a bright red lipstick highlighting her mouth from her pale skin. Her black leather pants were fitting just perfectly in her legs, making every curve even more visible. On her top, Carmilla was wearing a black corset, letting out a very revealing cleavage. After she left the room, Laura covered her head under the blankets. _Oh my god, I’m really going to die this time._

 

Laura took a shower thinking about Carmilla and her outfit. That was not fair. Just not fair at all. But she would get her revenge on Carmilla, yeah she would. Laura took the smaller dress she had, which was not really small, but very revealing. She braided her hair in a very nice pattern and placed by her shoulder. She used makeup, enhancing her facial features. She looked at the mirror again. Perfect.

 

She put on her white high heels and walked slowly to the living room. Carmilla was reading a book on the couch, her legs lazily opened wide. She noticed Laura’s presence and looked at her with a brow raised.

 

“Don’t you look like a virgin sacrifice?”

Laura blushed. She got irritated with herself. _Girl the hell up, Laura._ “So, are we going?” She said ignoring Carmilla’s tease.

Carmilla shook her hand patting her side on the couch for Laura.

“You said you don’t want to be late?” Laura said holding herself. She would not let Carmilla had that so easily.

Carmilla stoop up and approached Laura, who was tall enough to be at her same height. She smiled to her pregnant friend. “Alright then.” She walked past Laura, taking her keys from the counter and standing in front of the door. “Shall we?”

 

Laura drove them following Carmilla’s directions. They parked at the club’s huge parking lot and walked side by side in the direction of The Panther’s door. They realized it was the first time they went out on public together after their sex-buddy agreement. Even though they never thought about it in the apartment, they didn’t know how to behave outside their bubble. Apprehensive, Carmilla took Laura’s hand, guiding her to the side walk. Laura gave her a light squeeze, reassuring Carmilla.

 

Carmilla tried to hold her content smile. She greeted the bouncer at the front and led Laura down the stairs until they reached a very large hangar with a big dance floor, two bars islands and some booth tables. It was early, so the place was a bit empty.

 

“Want to drink something?” Carmilla said in Laura’s ear, the sound was not so load, but it was kind of a habit in that place. They were playing techno music.

“Can’t drink, remember?” Laura said a bit irritated.

“They have good drinks without alcohol, I’ll get something for us.” Carmilla kept leading Laura until they got in the bar.

 

Carmilla asked for the drinks while Laura took a better look at the place. The music was not appealing, she gave that, but the atmosphere was nice. Most of the women were really attractive, if she knew about this place before, it would be probably here she would make her lame attempt to pursue her one night stand. But, even with all of the pretty faces around her (some of them was staring too much, actually) she was glad she had Carmilla with her. Nobody else really mattered.

 

With drinks in hands, they sat on one of the booths and talked about the different kind of people that attended the club.

“So, you used to come here to pick up ladies?” Laura asked with a teasing smile.

“Sometimes.” Carmilla took a sip of her virgin drink “But most of the time I just came to meet someone I talked in an app date.”

“Ok.” Laura was not sure if she wanted dig more, but her curiosity was really taken the best of her. “Nothing serious, I presume?”

“No. Not from here.”

“So, you did have a serious relationship at least once?” It was hard for Laura to hide her curious tone. She had no idea about Carmilla’s love life past.

“Once.” Carmilla said pointedly. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk.” Laura looked a little concern. “Relax, Cupcake, I’m not mad.”

“I’m sorry if I’m prying.” 

“Don’t be, I said you could ask anything.” Carmilla looked at the dance floor, a not so bad music was playing. “But now I just want to have a little fun.” She stood up “Wanna go dance?”

Laura nodded following Carmilla to the place where the lights were blinking. They bounced their bodies to the sound of the music. After a couple of songs, Laura was feeling energetic and light. Carmilla was right, a night out from her problems was just amazing for her nerves. So she led her problems behind and grabbed Carmilla’s hip and rocked it with hers. That was so amazing and… _Fuck!_ She was feeling aroused again. _Those stupid leather pants._ She moved her hands to Carmilla neck, but this time was Carmilla who grabbed her ass and pressed them together. She looked intense and seductive to Laura. It was irresistible. Laura pulled Carmilla’s face and kissed her like tomorrow would never come.

 

Carmilla’s lips were extra soft and extra kissable that night. Laura didn’t realize she was grasping Carmilla’s boob, almost making them slip out from her corset. Carmilla retrieved a bit, holding Laura’s hand.

 

“Cupcake, we are in public.” She said with a panting voice on Laura’s ear.

“Fuck, I’m sorry Carmilla.” Laura was still in a dazzled cloud of desire. Carmilla was always amused at Laura’s tendency to curse when she was turned on.

“Not a problem.” Carmilla kept holding Laura’s hand, leading her to floor like they were waltzing. 

Laura laughed at Carmilla weird attempt to dance something totally different from the music that was playing. It worked to easy her hormones despair. A bit. After a minute she excused herself to go the bathroom.

 

Carmilla used the opportunity to take another drink, with alcohol this time. The barman was taking forever, the club was finally getting crowded. When she finally grabbed her drink, she took long sips, getting instantly dizzy. She barely noticed a hand tugging her corset and pulling her for a kiss. Those lips was strangers. Definitely not Laura’s lip. She pushed the person attached to her and… _Crap!_

“Hey Carmilla, have you missed me?” Said the other girl.

Carmilla didn’t have the time to do or to say anything, cause her tiny, but not so tiny this time, housemate was standing there with furious eyes, hands up in a dramatic pose.

“What the hell is going on here?” Laura yelled, jealousy printed in her voice.

“You already traded me for another girl, Carmilla?” Said the other girl in rage. She was a few inches taller than Carmilla, with long curled brow hair, oblique dark brown eyes and with a strong jaw line. 

Carmilla took another step back from the girl, her hands in surrender position. “Mel, you know you are not suppose to be here, right?” 

Mel looked from Carmilla to Laura, ignoring Carmilla’s words “Beat it, little girl! Carmilla and I were made for each other.” She stepped in Laura’s direction.

“Don’t even think” Carmilla placed herself between Mel and Laura, her eyes full of determination. “I’ll make you be arrested again!”

“No, Carmilla not that again.” The girl’s eyes were pleading, a fast change that didn’t slip from Laura’s attention. “Prison is horrible, it’s nothing like Orange Is The New Black.”

“So get the hell out of here!” Carmilla still kept her protective position over Laura, until 2 bouncers arrived at the small circle that formed with the scene.

“How you got here again, Melanie?” One of the big guys said gesturing for the confused girl to back it off.

“Out!” Yelled the other pulling Mel by her wrist, and taking her away.

“Are you okay?” Carmilla said turning to Laura.

“Of course, I was not the one been attacked by a crazy girl.” Carmilla tucked a lock of Laura’s hair behind her ear, then enlace her arm around Laura’s shoulder, kissing her temple.

“Want to go back home?” Carmilla said in her ear, her forehead rested on Laura’s head.

“No yet.” Laura turned her face to Carmilla. The word home made her heart skip a beat. “Unless you want to.”

Carmilla shook her head. “So, let’s have a little more fun.” She kissed Laura again and they returned to the dance floor.

 

**+++**

 

After hours dancing, they were finally getting the hang of it. Like in bed, it took a while for Laura and Carmilla to be in sync. But when it happened, it was like magic. It was getting late and Laura felt like her feet was killing her. They left the club with big smiles, Laura carrying her heels in one hand, the other holding her purse, her arm wrapped around Carmilla’s arm.

 

“Carm, I think you have to drive, I can’t barely walk until the car.” Laura opened her purse and gave Carmilla her keys.

“You danced like the world was about to end, Cupcake.” Carmilla took the keys and tucked it in her back pocket.

“Well, this is kind of my last chance to be in a place like this before I get too big to even move.”

“I think you are overreacting.”

“My belly will be huge, my feet will be swollen…” She looked at her feet then back to Carmilla “I won’t even see my vagina anymore.” She said perplex.

Carmilla exploded in cackles, stopping a few feet from Laura’s car, her hands propped on her knees. “I’m serious, Carmilla.” Laura protested. She kept walking, limping until the passenger door, leaning her back against the car.

Carmilla caught her breath, and straighten her back again, going to face Laura over the car. Her pregnant friend was pounting. It was adorable, like always. Carmilla raised her eyebrows, almost laughing with the thing she was about to say. “I can keep watch for you, Creampuff.”

Laura tried to hold her laugh, but it was impossible with Carmilla’s teasing face so close from her. Laura shook her head still smiling, and pulled Carmilla by her belt loops “Oh, really?”

 

Carmilla nodded, her breath lightly brushing Laura’s lips. “That and much more.” She decrease the space between her and Laura, lightly touching Laura’s lips. And what began like a simple kiss, turned into the burning encounter of hunger mouths and tongues. Laura pulled Carmilla against her body, moaning with the pleasure of the new pressure on her. Carmilla tugged Laura’s hair, only separating their bodies again when she felt Laura’s right hand tucking inside her pants, grabbing the bare skin of her ass.

 

“God… Cupcake, you have a thing for public places, huh?” 

Laura was breathless and flushed. “I-I totally forgot.” Laura retrieved her hand from Carmilla’s pants.

“Let’s go before we get arrested for public indecency.”

“Kind of your fault.”

“How this is my fault?”

“Arghhh, forget it, let’s go.” Laura said frustrated.

 

**+++**

 

When they arrived at their apartment building, Laura barely touched her foot on the floor and winced in pain.

“Oh, I’m so fucked!” She whined covering her face with her hands.

Carmilla came from the other side offering her hand to Laura. “Come on, Cupcake.”

Laura looked at Carmilla offering her hand and helping her to put her other foot on the floor. “Oh, god!”

She took a step with her first foot on the floor and winced again “No, no! Damn it, I can’t!”

“Wait.” Carmilla motion Laura to the side and took her purse from the car, closing the door. She turned her back to Laura, squatting a little. “Climb on me, Cupcake.”

“You don’t’ have to do that Carmilla.”

“Laura” Carmilla turned her face to her friend. “I don’t’ think we have another alternative. Come on, you’re not so heavy.”

“Not yet.” Laura said enlacing her arms around Carmilla’s shoulder. Carmilla firmed her legs standing up, tucking Laura’s purse on her mouth. She extended her arms and enlaced them on Laura’s legs, pushing Laura’s body up a little.

Laura gave a gently kiss on Carmilla’s cheek, taking the purse from her mouth. “So, here we go.” Carmilla said walking to the building. Laura opened the main door, then pushed the button from the elevator.

“This is kind of fun.”

“Your tiny human is going to love it.”

“Yeah…” The elevator came and they got in. Laura pushed the button to their floor. “Sorry, Carm.” 

“Don’t worry.” Carmilla shrugged, or at least tried. “You will have your fair share of piggyback rides.”

“I hope so.” Laura smiled imagining her kid riding her back. And Carmilla would be there with them. No, no, no, she would not. _Stop with this stupid dreams, Laura._

 

The elevator made a ding sound and opened its doors, pushing Laura out of her thoughts. Carmilla walked to her door, picking up her keys and opening it. She passed the door frame and kicked it closed with one tap of her foot. She headed to the couch, landing Laura on the cushions. She straightened her back popping her bones. Laura dropped her shoes on the floor and leaned her head back on the backrest.

 

Carmilla went to fridge, taking out 2 bottles of water. She returned to the living room, giving one bottle to Laura, perching herself by her housemate side. She took a long sip from the bottle before she started to remove her boots.

 

“Destroyed feet aside, this night was amazing” Laura said after taking some of her water.

“Destroyed feet and crazy chicks.” Carmilla added throwing her boots on the floor.

“Yeah…” Laura turned to face Carmilla. “What was that about?”

“Remember when I told you that I didn’t date people I met at work?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the reason.”

“Oh.” Laura raised her eyebrows in a surprised look.

Carmilla shook her head and shrugged “I met that girl, Mel, whilst I was working in a bar downtown. I kind of loved that job.”

“Didn’t know you worked in a bar.”

“Yeah, the drugstore was not my first choice.” Carmilla took another sip from her bottle. “Anyway, Mel seemed to be nice, you know, she was pretty and very smart. But after one date she started to stalk me everywhere. She picked up fights with all girls that I served at the bar. I could barely look at a person, even guys, and she wanted to beat them.” She looked defeated and sad. “My boss were really mad and I ended up losing my job. The news spread through bars owners of the town and nobody wanted to hire me anymore.”

“That’s really horrible, Carm.” Laura gave Carmilla a supportive smile and patted her arm. Carmilla returned her a kind smile.

“Eventually I got a restrained order against her. My sister Mattie is a lawyer, so she did it for me for free. Mel had been kicked out of The Panther lots of times for picking fights with girls. They banned her from there, but she always got a way to get in. The last time they got her arrested. I pressed charges too and Mel got some time in jail. Didn’t know she got released, though.”

“Are going to be alright with her out there?”

“Yes, I think so.” Carmilla shrugged and leaned closer to Laura. “I mean she is annoying and crazy but she never hurt me or anyone else. She just makes threats. I think she needs mental treatment, not jail.”

“So, you go there a lot, huh?” Laura retrieved her hands from Carmilla and picked her dress hem.

Carmilla nodded “I used to go there at least once a week. But not anymore.”

“Why not?” There was a hint of content in Laura’s question.

Carmilla gave her a classic smirk “I have enough on my plate right now.” Then she became more serious. “But there was another reason for me to pick ladies like that.”

“Aside from sleep with them?” Laura asked cautioned.

“It was for research reasons.”

“Research? What kind of research?”

Carmilla reached for Laura’s kindle over the coffee table. “Allow me?” Laura nodded, confusion printed on her face. Carmilla turned the reader on and opened her lasted book, displaying the cover of Mircalla’s Nights book 3 on the screen. Then she handed the device to Laura. “For this.”

Laura looked at the cover, then back to Carmilla. “I’m not getting.”

Carmilla bit her flat lower lip “I’m the author. I’m C.M. Arcillma.”

 

Laura twisted her mouth and pushed her eyebrows together. She opened her mouth to speak then closed it again. To say she was confused was an understatement.

 

“If you look at the letters, you can see they are just a silly anagram for my name.” Carmilla said pointing to Arcillma name on the kindle screen. “The C is for Carmilla and the M for Mircalla. The same works for Mircalla, they are all anagrams for Carmilla.”

“You are not joking, are you?” Laura asked suspicious, her face still a puzzle for Carmilla.

“No.” Carmilla said serious. “I use the anagrams cause I want to teach philosophy in college, so I can’t attach my name to a lame lesbian series.”

“Lame?” The news seems to be finally sink in Laura’s mind. “These books are amazing, Carmilla.”

“Do you think?”

“Are you kidding?” Laura’s voice was load and enthusiastic. “I just love them, I’ve told you before!”

Carmilla gave her a half smile “I know but…”

“Wait a minute.” Laura placed the kindle over the couch and ran to the bookcase, cursing from her pain. Her fingers were dancing over book spines, until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the book her eyes were happily staring.

“So you wrote this too?” She turned to Carmilla, holding The Distance Between Two Hearts.

“Yes.” Carmilla smiled without noticing.

“This is my favorite book of all time and you wrote it!” Laura was sitting in the couch again, a huge smile spread on her face.

Carmilla felt self conscious and happy. She also felt a little ashamed and relieved. “I didn’t know you would be happy about it.” She opened an honest smile to Laura, showing all of her front teeth. “I should have said it before.”

“Of course you should!” Laura was in awe. Her favorite author was Carmilla. Carmilla was her favorite author. “Now I understand...” The sparkle on her eyes faded a little. “Why some of the things we did in bed were so familiar.”

 

Carmilla felt tensed all over again.

 

“So, the things in these books happened in real life?” Laura asked with apprehensive eyes.

“Kind of, but not really.” Carmilla shrugged “There is so much one can invented about sex.”

“So, you went to a lot of dates and one night stands to write this?” Laura said with a less eager voice.

“Yes.” Carmilla said uneasy. She cleaned her throat before continued. “But, before you get worried, I don’t have any kind of sex diseases, I’m always checking it. And I’m precautious.”

It was like Laura was not processing Carmilla’s words. Or was she? A silence grew between them. Carmilla’s insecurities were consuming her again.

“Wow.” Laura said breaking the silence. “That’s why your stories are so amazing, they are real.” Her eyes were focusing on Carmilla again.

“Not totally real, I made up a lot too.” Carmilla shook her head and displayed an unsure smile.

“And that’s why you know so much. You’re kind of like Mircalla in real life.” Her eyes pupils were blow. She looked at Carmilla like she was a cold bottle of Coke in the middle of the desert. “I was sleeping with the Real Life Mircalla all of this time.” Laura concluded “That’s so hot.”

 

Laura threw herself on Carmilla’s arms in a messy sequence of kisses. Carmilla was having mixed feelings about it. She was glad Laura accepted her side job without any judgment. But, on the other hand, Laura joy to kiss Carmilla was not related with her, but with her alter ego and the fictional character she created. But that was not clearly a good time to talk about it. Not with Laura tongue inside her mouth. Or with her hands inside her pants. _Wow._

 

Laura pulled her panties out with a fast motion. In seconds she was straddling her thigh still covered by the leather pants. She let out a long moan when her clit and folds touched Carmilla’s leg. She was grinding her leg right after, holding in Carmilla’s shoulder to get traction. Carmilla was grabbing her ass, helping Laura to riding her. It didn’t take long for Laura to explode in spasms and a low scream. She dropped her body over Carmilla’s, breathless.

 

“Damn it, I did it again.” Laura said with a whining voice after she caught her breath. “I’m sorry, Carm.”

“Why are you apologizing?” Carmilla was brushing her hair carefully.

Laura kept her head lying over Carmilla’s chest. “Sometimes I feel like a train wreck when I’m turned on. I don’t want to have sex with you like this anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Carmilla tilted her head to look at Laura.

“I just treat you like a sex toy. I’m sorry.” Laura dropped some tears. Carmilla extended her hand to wipe them off.

“Don’t cry, Cupcake. I have nothing to complain, I understand.”

“Why?” Laura looked at her “You can have any woman you want. You are smart, and caring, and funny. And I’m bet you are not having sex with anyone else, even though you could, cause we are just sex buddies, and I’m so annoying sometimes, well most of times, but-“

“Laura.” Carmilla cupped Laura’s jaw “I don’t want be with any other woman. I’m not Mircalla. She is fiction, she is not real.”

“But you said-“

“Yes, I slept around, I’m not going to deny, mostly because I needed those experiences. I stared to write to pay for my students loans, and sex is fun, so... But it’s nothing I can compare with what I have with you.”

“Why?” Laura said to her with a cracked voice, almost like a whisper.

“Laura, casual sex is good, but this, _us_ , is so much better.”

“How can you say this after all the things you have done? And all the things that we have done?”

The words were in Carmilla’s mouth, but she held them.

“You are special, Laura. You know this is not just about sex.” Carmilla said with conviction. She hoped Laura would get the message.

“I’m special, why? Because I’m pregnant?” Laura said with distaste.

“That’s not-“

“Someday I’ll get bigger, huge and even more unbearable and you will be sick of me.”

“No, I won’t.” Carmilla was category.

“How do you know that?” Laura voice sounded hurt and inferior.

Carmilla stared hard in Laura’s eyes. “Because I love you.”

 


	12. Letting The Cables Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Carmilla dropped the L bomb she know things between her and Laura will change. But how this will aftected they agreement it is still a mystery for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you feeling ok, fellow Creampuffs?  
> I want to thank the 200 of you out there that gave me some love, and all the comments - I appreciate each one of them truly.
> 
> This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster, hold your seats!

**Chapter 12 - Letting The Cables Sleep**

 

Laura was not sure if she heard it clearly. Because her ears told her that Carmilla just said “I love you” but her brain was having a hard time to process that.

“You what?” 

“I love you, Laura” Carmilla repeated with sincere eyes.

“But… I…” Laura’s eyes were watering again.

Carmilla pulled her face gently giving Laura a lingering kiss.

“You love me?” Laura said breaking the kiss. Carmilla nodded, her own eyes shedding tears too.

Laura felt her heart racing and full, irradiating a wave of warmth and happiness to her entire body. She smiled to Carmilla and resumed the kiss, felling Carmilla’s lips trembling with her touch. That was a different kiss. That was not about desire or need. It was not rushed or chaste. It was love. Just love.

 

Carmilla’s touch on her was light and soft. All Laura wanted was to keep feeling her like that forever. Like nothing else mattered. She didn’t plan her next moves, neither Carmilla. They were just savoring each other, holding each other like the world was about to end. They were not sure when they started to rock on each other. The feeling of pleasure coming from their cores was like an extension of the emotions they were sharing. It was a feeling that was growing and taking all of their nerves to the edge. They came undone almost at the same time. Laura was first, while Carmilla held her with such devotion. Then Carmilla was feeling her own body coming to pieces, for only to melt together in Laura’s arms.

 

There were no words to express what just happened. No word could do that. They remained in silence until they fall asleep in each other arms.

 

**+++**

 

Laura woke up first, feeling her body aching after hours dancing like she was a teenager again. She looked at Carmilla sleeping with such relaxed features. She smiled with the memory of Carmilla’s last words for her. “I love you.” She gave her a light kiss on her cheek, then sat up carefully. Carmilla was still wearing her leather pants and corset. That was probably very uncomfortable. So, she decided to wake up Carmilla.

 

“Hey, Carmilla.” She approached Carmilla’s ear “Babe, wake up.” She grabbed Carmilla’s shoulder and shook it.

Carmilla slowly opened her eyelids, automatically smiling at the sight of Laura.

“Good morning.” Laura greeted her, giving a warm smile.

“Babe, huh?”

Laura blushed and grabbed a pillow, throwing lightly on Carmilla’s arm. “Shut up.”

Carmilla pushed the pillow to the floor, pulling Laura’s arm. “Come here, babe.” She said with an affect voice.

Laura leaned over her and planted a kiss on Carmilla’s lips. Carmilla took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “No. You’re always going to be my Cupcake.” Laura gave Carmilla a goof smile. “But you can call me whatever you want.”

“That wasn’t planned, it just came out.” Laura shrugged.

“I like it, but it does not explain why you woke me up in such an ungodly hour.” Carmilla covered her eyes with her arms.

“Because,” Laura said in a lightly tone “we slept in our party clothes and besides your leather pants, you’re wearing what seems to be a very uncomfortable corset.”

“So, you just wanted to see me naked, it’s that what you are saying?”

Laura threw another pillow on Carmilla. Carmilla made a move to sit up, but returned to her previous position, wincing with pain. “Oh, for fucks sake…”Laura giggled. “I’m feeling like a very old lady now.”

Laura stoop up, ignoring the pain in her feet. “Come on, I’ll help you.” She extended her hand to Carmilla, who took it.

 

Laura helped Carmilla to stand up. Carmilla was feeling all of her muscles in pain, like she had passed hours making exercises in a gym. She pulled Laura’s arms to rest over her shoulder, while they walked to the hall. Laura was limping again, trying to ease her weight propping herself on Carmilla.

 

“My bedroom or yours?” Carmilla asked.

“What is closer” Laura said in pain.

“Mine it is.” Carmilla guided Laura to her bed, resting her to sit down on the edge.

 

They both got undressed and Carmilla went to her dressing taking out a pair of t-shirts and shorts. She gave Laura 2 pieces of clothes and she sat down by her side of the bed to get herself dressed too.

 

Laura looked at Carmilla’s clock and whined “I can’t believe, I’ll have to be in the office in 2 hours.”

“Can’t you give yourself the day off?” 

“Just because I’m the boss it doesn’t mean I can just skip work.”

“Yes it does.”

Laura shook her head. “I already took a lot of days off. I can’t do this with Perry again.”

“Perry is not alone, she have Laf to help her.” Carmilla reasoned. “And I don’t think it’s good for you or for the baby if you go to work like this.”

“You’re sounding like Perry.” Laura pouted.

“If Perry agrees with me, so you should listen to us.” Carmilla crawled to lie on the middle of the bed “But if you want to insist and complain about your feet and your muscles all day to your co-workers, be my guest.”

Laura growled “Fine.” She rolled on the bed and propped herself by Carmilla’s side.

“This is much better.” Carmilla said tucking Laura hair behind her ear.

“Agree.” Laura snuggled herself in Carmilla. “What about you? Are you going to work like that?”

“Well, I have like 16 hours to make that decision.”

“Right.” Laura took a deep breath and placed her hand over Carmilla’s belly. “You know we have to talk, right?”

“I know.” Carmilla’s hand was patting Laura’s head. “But not right now.”

“Okay.” Laura closed her eyes. Even though she was drained and super tired, she was not sleepy.

After a few minutes she felt Carmilla’s breathing changing. She was definitely sleeping.

 

**+++**

 

Laura woke up after a peaceful sleep. She noticed like Carmilla and she had settled to a comfortable position on bed like it was part of a couple daily routine. They have been acting like a couple even before that first kiss. With their quarrels about the mess, they TV marathons and the other things they did for each other with care and love. But the kiss just made things more obvious. And her hormones speed up the process. But she never wanted to admit that it was not just about sex. Better saying, she didn’t want to believe it was possible for Carmilla to like her like that. That Carmilla could really falling in love with her.

 

The fact that Carmilla was her beloved author just made her admire her even more. It was like she was able to see a part of Carmilla that nobody else could. And she realized that Carmilla didn’t only have an erotic and seductive side, but she also had a sensitivity so deep and complex that she hardly showed in her daily life. But her, Laura, could see that just fine. And she loved that too. But she never wanted to figure out if she loved Carmilla or not. But maybe it was time to open a door she had been ignoring for so long.

 

She got out from the bed leaving the warmth of Carmilla behind. Her feet were still in a lot of pain, so she grabbed her phone on the kitchen and headed for the bathroom for a long and relaxing bath.

 

She texted Perry telling her about her deplorable state. Perry, like always, was very comprehensive. She let herself enjoy the bath, that was not better because she didn’t have Carmilla by her side.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up hours later, complaining about the lack of a certainly tiny girl by her side. After a fast trip to the bathroom, she found Laura on the living room, a bucket full of popcorn on her lap, with her feet up resting over the coffee table. She was watching Agent Carter.

 

“You already found another pretty lady to look at, Cupcake?” Carmilla said in a teasing tone sitting down on the couch.

“Are you comparing yourself with Peggy Carter, Carm? You are really full of yourself.” 

Carmilla grabbed a handful of popcorn “And you love it.” Carmilla said in a playful tone, but rapidly losing the easy on her mood.

They fell to an awkward silence with both staring pointedly to the TV. Carmilla grabbed more popcorn, then she looked at the still red and swollen feet of Laura.

 

“Allow me?” She looked at Laura waiting for her consent while she gesture for her feet. Laura nodded and Carmilla pulled her both feet to her lap. Gently she started to massage Laura’s left foot.

Laura exhaled a long breath of pleasure and relief with Carmilla’s touch. She was always amazing with everything she did with her hands.

Minutes later the episode was over, and without any further thought Laura turned her face to Carmilla.

“So, you love me.” It was not a question, but more an affirmation. An affirmation that was banging her head the entire day.

Carmilla gave her an automatic smile, never leaving her foot. “Yes, I do love you.”

Laura felt herself smiling, but not for too long. “I’m not dismissing your feelings Carmilla, but you know things are not that simple.”

Carmilla expression turned to a more cautioned one. She gently released the first foot on her lap and took the other rubbing it too. “I’m very aware of that.”

Laura sighed and looked at her hands “I come with a lot of baggage.”

Carmilla stopped her hands and looked serious to Laura. “Laura, you know that I love this baby like they are my own, right?”

Laura tilted her head up. “I can see that, but I’m not just talking about my baby. I just got out of a long term relationship, do you have any idea how that feels?”

“Yes, I actually do. I dated this girl in college for one year.” Carmilla resumed her massage on Laura’s right foot.

“So, you understand.” Laura gave her a half smile. “It’s not easy for me to let my guard down again. Danny gave up on me after 5 years. And I loved her so much.”

Carmilla gave a light squeeze on Laura’s foot, resting them over lap “I don’t know why Danny did what she did, but, I’m not her.”

Laura retrieved her feet from Carmilla, sitting up and embracing her folded legs over the couch “We are together for just a week and half… I mean, we’ve been having sex for a week and a half. This is not even a real relationship.”

Carmilla turned all of her body to face Laura, crossing her legs over the couch. “The connection we shared in this few days was stronger than anything that I ever had with anyone in my life. Including Ell, my first and only girlfriend.”

Laura was biting her lower lip, eyes concerned. “I’m not going to lie. It felt amazing. Sex with you was the best of my life. But we can’t build a relationship based on sex.”

“Laura, we know each other for 4 months now and I have feelings for you since the first day I saw you. And after everything we went through, I don’t have any intent to leave you. Not now, not ever.”

There was a half smile back on Laura’s face “You liked me for so long?”

Carmilla shrugged and tilted her head to the side “It’s not like I would take any random crying girl to my childhood happy place.”

Laura smiled with the memory “That was so nice. And I was feeling so helpless.” She shook her head “You know, what happened with Danny still hurts. And even though I have feelings for you…” She felt a shiver after her confession, but she kept looking at Carmilla anyway “I’m afraid to be hurt again.”

There was a hint of hope in Carmilla’s eyes. Laura’s confession made her heart skip a beat. “So, you don’t want invest on us, because you are afraid to be hurt?”

“No… I just don’t know what to do.” Laura shook her head and hunched her shoulders, her eyes diverted from Carmilla.

Carmilla let out a long sigh “So, let’s do things the right way.”

Laura raised her gaze to Carmilla again. “What do you mean?”

“You said you wanted a relationship that was not based on sex. So, we won’t be sex-buddies anymore.”

Laura furrowed her eyes “Are you saying you don’t want to have sex with me anymore?”

Carmilla features became soft “Oh, sweetheart, that will never be the case. What I’m saying is that we should start from the basics: girlfriends. What do you say?” She looked expectantly to Laura.

“Girlfriends?” Laura repeated the word like it was foreign.

“Yes. We will get out on dates, with no muscles pain and crazy people” She chuckled and proceeded “and we will know each other more, so we will be like the lesbian cliché and talk for hours, and watch a lot of TV, and you know, do things that couples do.” Her face turned to a smirk “And also, with lots and lots of sex.”

Laura laughed, but right after her face dropped to a more concerned one “And then what?”

Carmilla didn’t lose a beat “And then we take from there, and see where life takes us.”

“I understand what you are saying, but I still… I don’t know.”

“What are you afraid?”

Laura furrowed her eyes “That we get stuck in this girlfriends thing for too long. I’ve been there.”

Carmilla raised her brows and shoulder “So, you want to get married?”

Laura panic, raising her hands “Wow, that’s not what I’m saying either. We are not Perry and Lafontaine.”

Carmilla raised one brow “They are so going to get married any time soon.”

“I know, right?” Laura said a high pitch voice, forgetting for a moment their discussion. “But… No, I don’t want to rush things like this.” She shook her head to Carmilla, bringing the route of their talk back to the tracks.

“I know what we can do.” Carmilla said with a crooked smile “We can have a schedule, like we did with the house chores.”

“I don’t think we can use that for relationships.” Laura said like it was obvious.

“We totally can.” Carmilla was concentrated and eager again “Listen, let’s say we can date until the baby is born, which will happen in 24 weeks, or like 6 months, right?”

“More precisely 5 months and a half, yeah.” Laura tilted her head thinking. Yes, she was just 5 months and 2 weeks of her delivery date.

“So, we date for 6 months and if things goes as planned we get engaged. We won’t prolong this any further.”

“Are you really willing to do that?” Laura said incredulous.

“I’m serious about us, Laura.”

Laura pushed her eyebrows together, a sad tone impressed on her voice “But what if it doesn’t? We will split up?”

“If this would be the case, yes.” 

Laura sighed “So, okay, if things will work, we get engaged and then what next?”

“Next there is the baby test. We will see like we work as a family. I think we can do that for another 6 months. Then we get married. What do you think?”

Laura eyes got lost in her thoughts, Carmilla watched her apprehensive.

“So, in your plan, if things work out for us, we will be married in one year?”

“Yes, Ms Hollis. Or should I say future Ms Karnstein?” Carmilla said with presumption tone.

“Why do you think I would take your name?” Laura raised her hands in a sign of frustration and irritation.

“Well, if you’re the one proposing, maybe I’ll take yours.” Carmilla gave her a playful smile.

“Wow, hold your weddings bells, I didn’t say I wanted to be your girlfriend, let alone wife.” Carmilla felt a new wave of joy with Laura saying the word wife. It was like meant to be. Laura would be a perfect wife.

Carmilla changed her features to a more serious one, cleaning her throat. “So, Laura Hollis, would you give me the honor of be your girlfriend?”

Laura felt her face warm, a smile threatening to appear “Carmilla Karnstein, I would like to think about it.”

Carmilla let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Fair enough.”

 

**+++**

 

After their talk, Carmilla excused herself for a needed and deserved shower. Laura really wanted to go out to take a walk, but her feet was not up to the task, so she just laid on the couch and stared at the ceiling. When Carmilla finished her shower, she got dressed to work and left, giving a chaste kiss on Laura’s forehead before she left. It was early but she wanted to clear her thoughts in somewhere else.

 

Laura looked at the coffee table and took the book she had excitedly showed to Carmilla. She started to read it, now with new eyes.

 

A few miles away from there, Carmilla was heading to her comforting place. Looking at her old house again brought her a new idea. That would be a perfect place for her and Laura to live like a real family. That never crossed her mind in the last 15 years she spent coming and going there. Her life was too much dull to even think about the possibility of having anything like that. But now with Laura and the baby, everything changed. The possibility was real. But the decision was in Laura’s hands now.

 

She walked inside, remembering like things used to be when she lived there. She was an only child, so she spent most of her time playing alone on her room or reading by the bookcase in the living room. There were still the marks of the books that used to rest on those selves. The old armchair her father used to sit and read was there too, pilling up with dust. She remembered the late evenings he read for her. When he was not reading a book for her, he used to be in his office building old models of ships and boats. He taught some of that to Carmilla too, but she could not remember much of it anymore.

 

Her mother favorite place was the backyard. She liked to paint, especially dead nature. She had painted basically every plant they had in the garden. In the kitchen Carmilla remembered the chaos of her mother cooking. She was not really very good at it, but she tried. Her father cooked too, but none of them were really good at it. She surprised herself when she realized she was actually good at that, when she had to cook for herself in the first foster home she got in. It was not a happy memory, but the experience was helpful. She learned to stand for herself.

 

Maybe that house could reserve some new bright things for her future. With some work and dedication, the place could be beautiful, like it was some day. It was too soon to know, Laura even hasn’t agreed to be her girlfriend, but she had hope.

 

**+++**

 

After another boring shift at the drugstore, Carmilla was back home. She could feel her eyelids heavy with all the sleep she needed to have. She imagined Laura would be sleeping, but for her surprising, she was cooking pancakes.

 

“Hey!” Laura said when she saw her.

“Hey.” Carmilla looked around and saw the kitchen table set with 2 plates and some silverware. Carmilla dropped her bag over the stool by the island when she saw a copy of The Distant laid in there.

Laura came around the island, spatula in hand and gave a quick peck on Carmilla’s lips. Carmilla wanted to hug her, but Laura was already back to the front of the stove in a quick move.

“Can you fill our mugs with coffee?” Laura said pointing to the coffee machine.

“Sure.” Carmilla went to the cupboard and took two mugs out. One was blue with the shape of the Tardis (she didn’t know how many of that Laura had – apparently a lot) and a black one with the shape of a cat that Laura gave her. She filled the mugs with the fresh coffee from the machine while Laura was carrying a pile of pancakes and a bottle of maple syrup. That felt so domestic and natural, that Carmilla’s heart was about explode from her chest.

 

They sat on the table and enjoyed the delicious pancakes and coffee. Laura asked about Carmilla’s shift and Carmilla asked Laura about her feet. Carmilla talked about an old lady looking for her lost cat, and Laura said her feet was much better, especially after Carmilla’s massage. When nothing was left to talk about and the pancakes were gone, Laura looked at Carmilla with an unreadable face.

 

“I have an answer for you.” She simple said.

“Really?” Carmilla felt her heart racing a million miles an hour.

Laura nodded. “But I wanted to ask a few things first.”

Carmilla sighed “Go ahead.”

“Who ended your first and only serious relationship?”

“It was me.” A wrinkle formed on Laura’s forehead. “But just as a formality, it was already over.”

“What happened?” Laura leaned back on the chair, her hands were resting on her lap.

“I have to tell you this since the beginning.” Carmilla took a deep breath “I met Ell in my freshman year, she was a sophomore. We clicked right away, she was pretty and fun. But it took us a while to assume things formally.”

“And why was that?”

Carmilla ran her fingers combing her hair. “We worked well physically, but we didn’t talk much.”

Laura seemed to consider that for a while before she proceeded “How pretty was she?”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows “It matters?”

“Yes.” Laura said pointedly, crossing her arms.

“Alright” Carmilla rolled her eyes “She was really pretty.”

“How she looked like?” Laura looked more curious than mad.

“She was a bit taller than me, skinny, blond with blue eyes.” Carmilla said in boring speech tone.

“Okay. So?”

“So we started to fight quite a lot. Ell was a psychology major, she was always trying to over analyze everything, including me. But I loved her, so I tried to learning how to deal with that, you know, how to be in a relationship. It’s not easy.”

“Yeah, I know.” Laura gave her a sympathetic smile.

Carmilla nodded “And for a while things got better. A lot better. For a moment I thought she was the one, you know?”

Laura nodded to her this time “Yeah, been there too.”

“But one day, she saw this notebook I kept with some drafts. It was the notes for my novel, The Vampira’s Conquers.” Carmilla kept her eyes concentrating in her thoughts “I thought she would get mad or something, but no. She told me I had a problem and I needed treatment.” There were some small tears watering Carmilla’s eyes.

“What?” Laura’s voice was small.

Carmilla sniffed, holding back her tears. “She didn’t say in my face that I was a freak, but that’s how she treated me. I tried to be reasonable, I really tried to understand her side but…” She wiped a stubborn tear that fell “We were getting distant. She looked at me like I was her patience, not her girlfriend. And one day Laf send me this link to a paper she wrote and it was filed in the University Library system. She changed my name, but all the rest was me. Or at least how she saw me. Like some kind of disturbed monster.”

Carmilla looked in Laura’s gaze with hurt eyes “And that’s why I broke up with her.”

“I’m sorry, Carm.” Laura reached for Carmilla’s hands, holding them with care.

“Don’t be. She got a C, anyway. Not such a good theory in the end.” Carmilla let out a sarcastic laugh. “You can read it if you want to, it’s in Silas Library – it’s called The Verdict of Disturbed Views about Sex by Ell Sheridan.”

Carmilla looked at her hands wrapped up by Laura’s over the table and continued “But I rather see this by the bright side. If Ell wasn’t such a terrible people, maybe I would never have met you.”

Laura was shedding a tear herself, but she had a smile on her face “Ask me again.”

Carmilla raised her head again to look at Laura “What?”

“You know.”

Carmilla smiled nervously to Laura and took a deep breath “Do you want to be my girlfriend, Laura Hollis?”

Laura led out an indignant giggle and pouted “That’s not how you asked.”

“Oh, come on, Cupcake.” Carmilla rubbed their hands and leaned forward on the table, getting closer to Laura. “Would you please, Ms Hollis, be my girlfriend?”

Laura opened a bright and huge smile “Yes.”

She inclined her head and met Carmilla in the middle of the table. They lips touched gently, as both of them were shedding tears. But they were not of sadness this time. There were made of pure happiness.

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Carmilla were lying in bed after what they could only called as a session of making love. That was something new in their busy sex life. They were looking at each other with big goofy smiles. The only disagreement they had in bed in that morning was who was going to please the other first. Carmilla got her way, since Laura’s hormones was her weak spot. But Laura made the wait to Carmilla so worth it. She looked at the clock and whined into Carmilla’s neck.

 

“What’s wrong, Cupcake.”

“I have to go to work soon.”

“Can’t you take another day off?”

“Carm! This is not fair for Perry. Or Laf.”

“Tell them you are spending some quality time with your girlfriend.” She said with emphasis in the word girlfriend.

Laura laughed and smiled against Carmilla neck, placing a couple of kisses there. “I’m feeling better, thanks to my girlfriend, so I’m able to work this time.” 

Carmilla turned her body and faced Laura. “So, won’t you call me baby anymore?”

Laura smiled apologetic “I think just Carm it’s better.”

“Why? I liked”

“Don’t be mad at me but… that’s how I used to call Danny.”

“Oh.” Carmilla furrowed her brows “Yeah let’s just call the baby, baby.”

“Right.” Laura kissed her lips and placed her hand over Carmilla belly, running her fingers over her muscles bumps. “How can you have this perfect abs if you don’t even make exercises?”

Carmilla let out an amused laughed contracting her abs. “I’m serious.” Laura continued “Are you secretly going to a gym after your shifts?”

Carmilla laughed again. “I think it’s just genetics, Cupcake. There is no secret gym.”

“God, you’re so lucky!”

“You’re not bad yourself, Cupcake.” Carmilla was patting Laura firm biceps “I think you’re the one working out secretly.”

“That just a reflex of my normal work routine. You have no idea how much things I have to carry on a daily basis and how much I have to run.”

“So I was right.” Carmilla said pulling Laura for a kiss starting to make things hot again.

 

Like in a cue, Laura’s phone rang. She retrieved from Carmilla, who protest a lot, to answerer it.

 

“Dad? Hi!”

Carmilla plopped her back on the bed, while Laura sat up. “Everything is ok. You what?”

Carmilla looked attentive to Laura. “But why?” Laura continued on the phone.

“I understand.” Laura turned and looked to Carmilla “But you don’t have to.” She sighed nervously “Alright. Love you too. Bye.”

“Problems in Minnesota?”

“My dad wants to talk to me.”

“It’s that a problem?”

“I didn’t’ told him I broke up with Danny, neither about the baby. It’s been a while I don’t have a proper talk with him, so he is coming to town to visit.”

“Oh. Is that a bad thing?”

“It’s not good.” Laura sighed, lying by Carmilla’s side again “I think you need to prepare yourself for the girlfriend experience, cause the first big test it’s going to start pretty soon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will up in the weekend, but I'm not sure for how long I can keep this schedule, all I can promise is a chapter a week at least. I'm using my English studding time to write this fic. And I think I'm getting better with words. See you soon!


	13. From Nightmares to Fantasies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr. Hollis is coming to town and Laura is freaking out about it. But before she can get even more worry about her father, Perry finally reveals her concerns about Carmilla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, electric power was out last night while I was watching Katy Perry live in Rock in Rio and I got no internet and very very pissed off.
> 
> This is a little longer than usual, cause the season finale is already giving me the chills. And because there is a lot going on in this fic.

**Chapter 13 – From Nightmares to Fantasies**

 

To say that Laura was panicking was an understatement. When she arrived at the office in that morning, Perry saw right away the concern on her face.

“Are you ok, sweetie? You look more stressed than the usual.” 

Laura sat down on her desk and turned on her computer, looking around the place. Lafontaine was not there. “My father is coming to visit. He doesn’t know I’m pregnant.” She sighed. “He doesn’t know a lot of things.”

“I’m sure he will be thrilled when he learns he will be a grandpa.” Perry sat down by Laura’s side, patting gently on Laura’s back. 

“But he won’t be happy to know that I broke up with Danny.”

Perry smiled sympathetic “Just tell him the whole story, I’m sure he will understand.”

“And there is more.” Laura looked unease to Perry. “I’m dating Carmilla.”

Perry furrowed her eyes in a very concerned look “Really? Since when?”

Laura raised her shoulders “Well, officially since this morning.”

Perry placed her hands on lap, the concern never leaving her face “Does she treat you fine?”

Laura snapped “What kind of question is that? Of course she treats fine, she’s Carmilla. She is always kind to me.” 

Perry retrieved a bit on her chair “You have to admit, Laura. She is quite strange.”

“No she is not. And why are saying this? I never judge your partner.” Laura fidgeted in her seat, her hands waving with nervous gestures towards Perry.

Perry retreated a little more, rolling her chair away “I’m only concerned Laura.”

“You’re acting like my father, argh!” Laura turned to her desk and dropped her head over the table, frustrated. “He will be worst than you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just worry that Carmilla is taking advantage of you.”

Laura raised her head from the table. “But why? Where this concerns about Carmilla comes from? You barely know her!”

“Well, I didn’t want to bug you before, but… I’ve heard some stories about her.”

“What stories?” Laura turned her whole body and chair to face Perry.

“That she goes out with a different girl every week. That she just sleeps around and never calls them back.” 

“Who told you that? It was Laf?”

Perry shook her head, placing her hands stiffly on her lap “No. It was Kelly from Jane’s Catering. She also works in this queer club in downtown and talked to me about a girl called Carmilla that was always there picking up girls. I don’t think there is any other Carmilla in this area.”

 

That was nothing new to Laura, but the way Perry said how Carmilla never called the girls made her a little unsettle. She never thought how Carmilla treated those girls.

 

“What else do you know about it?” She said rolling her chair closer to Perry.

“I asked Lafontaine about Carmilla’s rumors. They never deny it, just said that they never get involved in Carmilla’s love life, it was her business, not theirs.”

Laura crosses her arms and lost her eyes staring at her feet “Carmilla told me about this club, and the girls but…”

“What?”

She looked at Perry again “I’m a little concern now. Do you know when was the last time Kelly saw Carmilla there?”

“I don’t know. But I can ask her.” Perry offered her a supportive smile.

Laura shook her head “No. No, just forget about this, Perry.” She sighed “I’ll just talk to Carmilla.” Perry made another concerned face. “And I’ll keep your name out of this.”

 

**+++**

 

When Laura returned home, she found Carmilla folding the laundry over the couch, it was around 7 in the night. Laura sat down by her side and gave her a light peck before she started to help Carmilla with the folding.

 

“So, how was your day?” Carmilla asked in a casual tone.

“It was ok. Perry was a little worried about ours deadlines, but we figure things out. We’ll be fine.”

“That’s good news, huh?” Carmilla smiled for her.

Laura nodded “Yeah.”

Carmilla noticed Laura’s unusual behavior. At this time she would be blabbing about her work nonstop. “Is there something wrong?”

 

Laura’s first reaction was to say no, nothing was wrong. But she didn’t want to go on that road with Carmilla. She was opening her heart to someone again, she could not risk to have it broke just because she didn’t say what she had to say in the right moment. Like before.

 

“When you went out with all those girls, did they know what you were doing?” Laura asked bluntly.

Carmilla furrow her brows “No. Oh God, no. The only person, beside you who knows about this is Lafontaine.”

“And Ell.” Laura said with a sad voice.

Carmilla kept taking clothes from the basket and folding it “She found some drafts about my first book, but she did not know that I published them. She knows nothing about C.M. Arcillma and she never will.”

Laura kept her face concerned, dropping her hands. “It was always just about sex? I’m mean, I know that that girl had problems, but what if somebody else got hurt?”

Carmilla dropped her hands too, giving all her attention to Laura. “Laura, I never misguided anyone, if is that what you’re thinking. Not even Mel. I always made clear that it was just a night, just 2 people having fun, and nothing else.” She reached for her phone on her pocket “Let me show you.”

After a few moments tapping her fingers on her phone, Carmilla showed Laura the screen of an app. “I was using this app to find girls. This app is all about it, no strings attached.”

 

Laura held the phone looking at Carmilla’s profile. It had a head shot of her with a smirk. The info was what Carmilla said basically. She was just looking for single girls to have some fun, with no commitment expectations. She also saw a lot of unread messages piled up in her inbox.

 

“You are kind of popular, huh?” Laura said with a shy smile.

“I had a good picture, that’s all.” Carmilla shrugged. 

“I’ve never seen any of these apps or websites about dating.”

“You’re not missing anything.” Carmilla peeped to phone screen in Laura’s hand for a second, returning to fold the last pieces “Want to read some of my messages?” Laura felt she was prying a little too much, but Carmilla really didn’t mind “Here, just tap in here.” She pointed the inbox to Laura.

Laura started to read a few messages, if Carmilla was giving her consent, why not? “Oh my God, some people are really crazy!” Laura covered her mouth in surprise and laughed. 

“I know, right.” Carmilla let out a chuckle.

Laura read another one and blushed “And some people are really graphic about their sex moves.”

“See, it’s not easy to pick a person for a night stand, you always take the risk to meet with a lunatic or a real pervert.”

Laura wriggled her entire face “Oh, grows, there is a lot of men trying to turn you straight or calling you for a threesome.”

“Those fucking bastards are everywhere.” She snorted “Like if I would have a threesome with a guy in the middle.”

Laura raised an eyebrow “Have you been in a threesome?”

Carmilla nodded and talked in a condescending tone “Threesomes are overrated.”

“So, you didn’t like it?” Laura concluded.

“Let’s just say I rather focus my attention to one person at a time.” She nudged Laura “But if you want to try it I would not be opposed.” 

Laura got flustered like she was sitting on a bonfire. “Do you want to sleep with other people?”

“No. I’m just keeping my mind open for your fantasies. Is that what I’m saying.”

“My fantasies?”

“I definitely don’t want to sleep with other people. I love you and I just want to be with you.” Carmilla reassured her “But I also understand that people have fantasies and I’m not against it. I think they are very health – that’s what I’m saying.”

“It’s kind of strange to hear it from a partner.” Laura showed another shy smile “Danny never was one to talk about it. Things were basically the same over the years for us.”

“And how that worked for you?” Carmilla looked really interested.

That was strange to Laura, to share this much especially about Danny, but she wanted to take the opportunity to vent a little. She never talked about her sex frustrations to anybody. “I don’t like to complain about Danny, she was always very good to me, but… our sex life was pretty lame.”

Carmilla wanted to make a joke about Danny or say “I knew it”, but she held it. “You didn’t talk much about it?”

Laura furrow her brows a bit “Not really. We basically were vocally about it to say when we were on the mood or not. And sometimes to say that something was good or not.” She shrugged “And that’s all.”

Carmilla kept the tone casual “And you never tried to talk about different things? Or just tried to do them with her?”

“I did.” Laura was feeling more secure on the subject “But Danny didn’t like to talk much. And most things weren’t appealing for her, like oral or toys. So… we kept having the same routine. The same boring sex every time.”

“Hum.” Carmilla looked to Laura holding a smile “And how do you feel about our sex life?”

Laura opened a big smile “It’s amazing.”

Carmilla mirrored Laura smile “I think so too. That’s why fantasies are important. They help to keep us eager. Alive.”

“I think you might be right.”

Carmilla saw an opportunity to open more to Laura about it. It was so good that her girlfriend was not afraid to talk about it, even though Laura seemed to be kind of shy about the whole sex talk. “I had my fair share of them, and still have some I never did, and even though I’m not interesting in reviving a threesome, I would do it for you.”

Laura felt her cheeks warm again. She could not believe how Carmilla could pull that out from her. “I never thought about threesomes to be honest. But right now is really not something that I’m interest about.”

“What are in interest about?” Carmilla raised a brow showing Laura a very seductive smile.

“I don’t know.” Laura blushed again. 

Carmilla raised her hand and tucked a loosen lock of Laura’s hair “I know… public sex.” Carmilla nudged Laura’s ribs.

Laura let out a giggle. “Maybe. You want me to make a list?”

Carmilla nodded pulling Laura for a gentle long kiss. She pulled away sighing heavily “Yeah, that would be fun.” She straightened a little more and looked in Laura’s eyes again, still holding her face. “You make your list, I’ll make mine and we will get a way to perform all of them.”

Laura raised her eyebrows “I can’t believe you, Carmilla.”

“Didn’t like my idea?” Asked Carmilla concerned.

“No, I love it!” Laura gave her another kiss. And then another.

Carmilla sighed when Laura separated their lips “I’ll take this to our rooms.” She grabbed the basket and propped it over her lap “And you can work on your list.” She gave Laura a last peck and left the living room.

 

Laura looked back at Carmilla’s phone on her lap and grabbed it scrolling to the last messages of the date app Carmilla opened. The last one was dated 4 months ago, and came from a girl named Elsie. Laura discovered that they set a date at The Panther a week later, and that was the last interaction Carmilla made in that app. She smiled to realize that Carmilla didn’t meet anyone around the date she met her. She stood up and headed to Carmilla’s room, where she was putting her clothes on her dresser.

 

“You forgot this.” She handed the phone back to Carmilla.

“Well…” Carmilla looked at the phone screen. “I think it about time to uninstall this thing from my phone for good.” She closed the app and uninstalled it from her phone. 

She placed her phone over her dresser and walked in the direction of a very smiling Laura. “So, how that list is going?” She pulled Laura by her waist, pressing their hips together and stared to leave light kisses on her neck.

Laura tilted her head giving more room for Carmilla. “I think the sex in public can make it.”

Carmilla chucked. “What else?”

“Oh, I always wanted to have sex in a moving car.” Laura said still blushing a little.

“Good one. But In think that will be very trick. And also counts as public sex, in a way.”

“Hum… yeah.” She looked expectantly to Carmilla “What about you?”

“I’ll tell them to you in the right time.” She reached the other side and laid kisses on Laura’s shoulder.

“It’s nothing too weird, is it is?” Laura said a little scary “You don’t me slapping you? Or some kind of grows shower?”

Carmilla let out a giggle, facing Laura again “No! Nothing like that, really.” She shook her head amused “I know I said to you that I don’t have much restrictions, but I don’t go that far. I just meant that I have an open mind.”

Laura rolled her eyes nervously and Carmilla continued “It’s just some different moves and some toys, nothing scary.” Laura looked relieved “But let’s make your car thing first. Then we will get into mine, in time.”

“Don’t forget that my belly is getting bigger every day, and this can make some things complicated.”

Carmilla nodded giving Laura a peck. “Oh yeah, can’t forget about that.”

“Also, in other news, my father is coming in 2 days.” 

“Okay. Where is he staying?”

“About that…” Laura made an apologetic face “probably here.”

“Here?” Carmilla repeated raising a concerned brow.

“When I lived with Danny he always stayed with us, so he is probably thinking that he is going to stay in our spare bedroom, and this case, my room. My father is kind of cheap.” Laura explained.

“Well, we are basically sleeping together every night anyway, we can make it official and share one room.”

“So, I’ll move my things to here?”

“Or, some of your things, I don’t have much room for your clothes, but you can bring everything else.” Carmilla smiled warmly with the prospect of sharing a bedroom with Laura.

“Alright. Let’s do this.” Laura smiled back at her, giving Carmilla a cheerful peck.

“Laura?” Carmilla dropped her content smile after she looked in Laura’s eyes again.

“Yes, Carmilla.” Now as Laura who were worried.

“Do you think your father is going to like me?”

“Why he would not like you?” Laura said like it was impossible for her father to distaste Carmilla.

“Well, all I know about him is that he looks like J.K. Simmons and is very protective of you.” She said trying to be funny, but also carrying a scary tone in her voice at the same time.

Laura knew that things with her father would not be simple, but she didn’t want to scare Carmilla. “He used to like Danny a lot.” She said in a light tone. It was the only thing she had to compare.

Camilla groaned “That doesn’t help me.” 

“Look, yes, my father is a little intimidate at first, he is the town sheriff, but as soon as he knows you, he will be like your best friend, making jokes about silly things and been very loyal to you.”

Carmilla widen her eyes with the new information. “What?” Laura asked oblivious.

“Your father is a cop?” Carmilla was panic for real now.

“Yeah, I didn’t mention that before?” And Laura was still taking things lightly.

“No… God, he is gonna hate me.” Carmilla closed her eyes and sat down on the bed.

Laura sat by Carmilla’s side, looking concerned at her “Have you been arrested or something?”

Carmilla was pitching the bridge of her nose “No.”

“Do you have some kind of fear or hate of the police?” Laura suggested half concerned, half sympathetic.

“No Laura. I’m just not very keen to authority figures.” She opened her eyes and face Laura again “It kind of a thing when you’ve been in the system like me.”

“Oh. Didn’t know that.” There was an entire side of Carmilla that was still a little fog to Laura. She knew about some bad things that happened in some foster homes and some few happy stories too, but in general Carmilla didn’t share much about it. “Don’t worry, Carmilla, my father is very protective of me, but he is also very fair.”

Carmilla sighed. “I hope so.”

 

**+++**

 

Two days later, Laura was driving to the airport to get her father. Carmilla wanted to go with her, but Laura thought it would be better if she break the news before he meets Carmilla. After a tight hug in her tall and bald middle age father, Laura was walking him to her car in the airport parking lot.

 

“So kiddo, where is Danny?” He asked in an animated tone.

“Oh, we are not together anymore, dad.” Laura said in apologetic tone.

“But, when, how?” He turned to her and held her hand “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m great. Actually I’m dating somebody else.”

“But, so soon, kiddo?”

“Dad, Danny and I split up 4 months ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before? Four months, Laura?”

“It’s kind of a complicated story, dad. I’ll tell you when we get home.” Laura pulled her father hand to make them walk again.

They walked in silence for a while before Laura’s father notice something unusual on his daughter. “It looks like you gain some weight, sweetheart? Eating too much cookies, huh?” He nudged Laura in her shoulder.

“Something like it.” She said in an unpleased tone. Her father noticed Laura’s mood and decided to change the subjective.

“So, who is this new girlfriend of yours?”

Laura’s face lighten up with the new question “Her name is Carmilla. She is 23 and very beautiful.” 

“And where is she?” He asked amused by his daughter smile.

“Actually, she is kind of leaving her work right now.” Laura looked at the clock, it was 7:05 in the morning. They reached Laura’s car. Mr. Hollis put his baggage in the trunk of the car while Laura started it.

 

They buckled up and Laura hit the road, it was an hour driving to her apartment. “So, what Carmilla does for a living?” Asked her father, picking up the conversation. She knew he would ask this. It’s one of the things he considered very important in a person’s life, especially when they were her daughter girlfriend.

 

“She works full time in a drugstore. The night shift.” Laura kept her eyes concentrated on the road.

“Drugstore?” He said in a condescending tone. “She is like a manager or something?”

“No. She is a cashier. Sometimes she works at the prescription counter.”

“Laura, you know that I only care about you, and that’s why I’m telling you this. But, what kind of future you are going to have with a girl in a minimum wage job like that?”

“Dad!” Laura grabbed the wheels with force.

“Unless this not serious… but I know you, you don’t just date people you think you don’t have a future.”

Laura looked briefly to her father “You are right in one thing. Carmilla and I are very serious.”

He frowned his eyebrows, gesticulating with his hands like his daughter “Well, she is 23 Laura and you have seen each other for how long now?”

Laura rolled her eyes “Two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” He snorted, raising his index and middle finger to Laura “How things can be this serious after 2 weeks?”

“Just because!” Laura said in a harsh tone, doing everything in her power to control her nerves.

“Laura, I thought you and Danny were fine. How you wanted me to believe that you are serious about this girl just after 2 weeks.

 

Laura felt furious. It was like the karma from her discussion with Perry was getting her through her father. Those damn two weeks. She pulled over on the road shoulder and looked serious to her concerned and irritated father.

 

“We are going to have a baby. That how serious we are.” She said categorically to her father.

“A baby? But how?” Her father widened his eyes, both hands gesturing dramatically to his daughter.

“You don’t want me explain how those things works, father do you?” Laura’s face was red and twisted with wrinkles.

“Laura…”

“I’m pregnant, dad. And I’m under a lot of stress and we are in the middle of a very dangerous road and I just want to drive in peace until we get home safe and sound. And for that to be possible we need to be quiet and I don’t want to hear any other question about this from you, or I swear to God, I’ll just leave the car and walk the rest of the way. Am I clear?”

Her father nodded, not saying another word.

“Good!” Laura returned the car to the road and they headed in silence for the rest of the trip.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla got home, not sure what to do. She was nervous to meet her future father in law. Laura said she would tell him about the break up and her new relationship, but she would wait a few days to tell him about the baby. She went to the bathroom for a quick shower and then searched for some clothes that could make her look more serious.

 

It was not easy. Carmilla’s collection of clothes were not really parental approval. She took a pair of blue jeans and a grey shirt that didn’t have anything printed on it. She looked at the mirror and didn’t look exactly how she wanted. So she went for Laura’s closet, she certainly would have something suitable. She found a better shirt, white and with a nice cut. Worked really well with her blue jeans. When she was closing the door, something fell from the top shelf. Carmilla bent to take the black package when she noticed it was a pair of tiny clothes. Baby clothes. A small pair of black ripped jeans and black shirt with “Mommy Rocks” printed on it. A goofy and warm smile rose on her face and she could not avoid the thought of Laura buying that clothes because of her. She returned the clothes to the place they were and walked to the kitchen feeling more confident. _I think she really loves me._

 

Carmilla’s thoughts were cut off by the sound of keys unlocking the front door. She stood up and straightened her back. She saw Laura opening the door with a frown. Her father was right behind, pulling his bag on little wheels. Laura gave Carmilla a weird smile touching her shoulder.

 

“Dad this is Carmilla.” She said turning to her father, her hands still touching Carmilla.

He looked at Carmilla with a serious face and extended his hand to her “Nice to meet you, young lady.” His tone was sober and serious like his face.

Carmilla shook his hands, feeling herself more nervous than before. “Nice to meet you too, sir.”

He gave her a nod and a firm shake. After their hands were released, Laura left Carmilla’s side, guiding her father down the hall.

“I’ll show you your room, dad” She said leading the way.

He looked one last time to Carmilla then followed his daughter. Carmilla let out a long nervous breath. Her confidence was gone.

 

**+++**

 

Laura returned from her former room, dropping herself in Carmilla’s arms. Carmilla held her tightly.

“Are you ok, Cupcake?” Carmilla said when Laura met her face. 

Laura shook her head. “Not really. My father is kind of mad about everything. Even the baby. He knows it.”

“But, why?” Carmilla softly said brushing Laura’s hair.

“He is just too much concerned about me. But he will get it. I’m sure.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“He will cook for us tonight. Just be here at 7.”

“Okay. What time you’ll be home?”

“I’ll try my best to arrive early. He is resting now, but he will go out to buy some groceries for dinner. You can sleep peacefully now.”

Carmilla sighed and hugged Laura again “I’ll try.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up at 4 in the afternoon and for a while she forgot about Laura’s father. But when she arrived at the kitchen to have some cereal, she realized the TV was on.

 

“Hi, Mr. Hollis” She said when she saw him. He was watching a baseball game, barely leaving his eyes from the TV to greet Carmilla.

“Hello, Carmilla.” He said quickly. Carmilla nodded.

“May I offer you anything?” 

“Don’t worry about me, I’m good.

“Okay.” Carmilla said going to the fridge.

She took a can of beer and the milk box. She prepared her bowl of cereals and walked to the living room. “Beer?” She asked extending her hand with the beer for her future father in law.

“Well…” He looked at the beer and took it from Carmilla’s hand. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Carmilla sat down on the couch with her bowl. They watched the game for a while. Mr. Hollis drinking his beer, Carmilla eating her cereal.

“So, are you a fan of the Twins, or are you just watching the game to make me company?”

“To be honest, Sir, I don’t even like baseball. Or any kind of sports.”

He laughed dryly “Alright. I like your honesty, kid.”

Carmilla smiled shyly.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was tense the entire day, just imagining her father and Carmilla in the same apartment. That was not good. She did her best to go home on time. She realized that her hormones cravings were losing space for her worries about her father. That was not a good trade, at all. She opened the front door and found an unusual scene before her eyes. Her father was stirring a boiling pan over the stove while Carmilla was cutting carrots over the kitchen island. They were laughing about something in the exactly moment Laura entered the room, barely noticing her presence.

 

“…and she came to me with the saddest eyes like a puppy saying that everything in the world was a lie.” Said Mr. Hollis with an amused tone.

“Just because she found out Santa Claus didn’t exist?” Questioned Carmilla also laughing.

“That’s right. My Laura was always so dramatic, you cannot believe.” He added.

Laura became even more confused. She didn’t know if she should be mad about the fact they were laughing at her, or if she should be happy that they were getting along.

 

“Hey!” She said breaking the animated talk. They both looked at her. Her father a little serious, Carmilla with a huge smile.

Carmilla placed the knife on the counter, turning around it and coming in Laura’s direction. “Hey Cupcake, it’s everything ok?” She said giving Laura a peck, and brushing her cheeks.

“Yes.” Laura said uneasy. “It is.”

“Hello, Laura.” Her father said from the stove, not moving to greet her.

Laura looked from her father to Carmilla. “Is everything ok here?”

“Of course.” Carmilla said patting Laura’s arm. 

“Can you come here with me for a second?” She said pulling Carmilla by her hand.

“Sure” Carmilla answered, even though Laura was already taking her.

In their bedroom, Laura closed the door before she turned to face Carmilla. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t my father yell at you?”

“No.” Carmilla answered casually.

“He didn’t complain about nothing?”

“No. Laura, what is the problem here?”

“You tell me, Carmilla. My father was furious at me this morning, and you don’t like cops, and now he is laughing and cooking with you?”

“I never said I didn’t like cops.” She corrected her girlfriend and then shrugged “And about the rest, I don’t know, I didn’t do anything.”

“Did you tell him something about us? Or the baby?”

“No.” Carmilla said and then thinking for a second “Well…”

“What?” Laura had some panic in her voice.

“He only asked how long you were pregnant.” Carmilla said in a casual tone.

“And you told him?” Laura raised a concerned eyebrow.

“Of course I told him, why would I lie?” Carmilla ran her fingers on her hair.

“Damn it.” She smacked her hand in her face.

“What?”

“Let’s just go back there before he come here looking for us. We’ll talk later.”

“If you say so...” Carmilla said unsure of what was best. Things about Laura and her father were very unpredictable. The best way to deal with that was to leave Laura to take the lead.

 

They returned to the kitchen, Mr Hollis was cutting the carrots Carmilla left on the counter. “Hey kid, just let me take care of everything now, you can stay with Laura.”

“Are you sure?” Carmilla said about to grab Laura’s hand.

“Absolutely. I’ll call you when things will be ready.” He said with a wink.

“Ok, then.” Carmilla turned to Laura finally taking her hand “Wanna watch TV?”

“Ahhm, I think I’m going to take a shower and change this work clothes.” She squeezed Carmilla’s hand before released it.

“Ok.” Carmilla nodded and gave Laura a half smile.

Carmilla sat down on the stool and returned her attention to Mr. Hollis, while Laura was walking down the hall, heading to the bathroom. “So, do you have any more funny stories about Laura, Mr. Hollis?”

Laura rolled her eyes and let out a whine.

 

**+++**

 

Dinner was served. Mr. Hollis made pasta with some vegetables and chicken. It was one of the Laura’s favorite dish, but it didn’t seem like her father was trying to please her. His face was rather neutral towards her and she noticed it.

 

“This is really delicious, Mr. Hollis.” Carmilla said taking another bite from her plate.

“Thank you, Carmilla.” He nodded satisfied “you helped to make this taste a little better too.”

“No, I did nothing.” Carmilla shook her head.

“Don’t be modest, kid. You’re really good in the kitchen.” He said playfully.

“Yes, it’s really good.” Laura said with a content smile. Carmilla smiled back to her, but her father kept his poker face.

“I want to take you girls to play bowling tomorrow night, what do you say?” He finally smiled to both of them.

“I think it will be nice.” Laura said turning to Carmilla.

“Yeah, it’s my day off tomorrow, no problem.” Carmilla said smiling to Laura, then to Mr. Hollis. She was sitting between Laura and her father in the small square table.

“So it’s a date.” He said giving a warm smile only to Carmilla. Laura dropped her content features with her father attitude.

“So dad, don’t you want to talk about the things you asked me in the airport?” Laura said with a casual tone, but with fire burning in her eyes.

Mr. Hollis’ face dropped to a serious expression again. “I really don’t.” He said taking a sip from his orange juice.

Carmilla kept her eyes staring at her food.

“You came all the way from Minnesota cause you said you wanted to talk with me.” She raised her shoulders “So, talk with me.”

“I said I don’t want to talk about it.” He stated firmly.

“Why not?” Laura retorted crossing her arms. It was getting hard for Carmilla to disguise her disinterest.

“Because if you wanted me to know those things, you would have told me them months ago, not now.”

“So, that’s why you are mad at me? Because I didn’t tell you early?”

Carmilla didn’t know what would be worst. Be there immobile or leave the table.

“No, Laura. I’m mad at you because you lied.”

“I did not lie to you! Things were complicated and I just didn’t talk to you when they happened, but I’m talking now.”

“Just because I’m here. What would happen if I never came Laura? Huh? I would know about my grandchildren when they would be going to college?”

Carmilla stoop up quietly and Laura looked immediately at her “I need get ready for work.” Carmilla said pointing to her bedroom. “Excuse me.”

While Carmilla left the kitchen, Laura huffed looking at the table. “You cannot judge me before you know the whole story, dad.”

“All I know, Laura, is that you kept me in the dark. Again. I’m your father, I have the right to know about those things.”

“I didn’t tell about this before because you always freak out about everything. If I had told you about the baby before you would have been here in the next flight with a helmet and baby security gadgets.”

“How is that a bad thing? I’m just doing what a parent it’s supposed to do.”

“Dad, don’t you understand that I am the parent now?” Laura waved dramatically her hands.

Carmilla came from the bedroom with her work outfit and her bag. “I’m going.” She said pointing to door. “Bye.” She said before she left completely.

Mr. Hollis looked back at Laura “So you need to understand something about been a parent, kiddo. It doesn’t matter how old your kid is, you are always going to be their parent, no matter what. You’re always going to worry.”

 

It was late and Laura was tired. She just wanted him to understand. So she talked to her father about the whole story. How she planned things with Danny and how things ended up between them. Then she talked about Carmilla, not mentioning the whole sex-buddy deal obviously, but mentioning their plan to maybe get married in a year. He heard her, not interrupting her speech once.

 

“And apparently you like Carmilla now, so I guess it’s a good thing.” Laura said at last.

Mr Hollis took a deep breath scratching the back of his neck. “I never said I didn’t like Carmilla. I just didn’t know her and I was concerned about your future with her.” He justify.

Laura sighed, placing her hands over the table, easing her movements. “What do you think about her now?”

“Carmilla seemed to be a decent person, but and I’m still worry about her carrier choice and your future with her.”

“Dad, Carmilla is a very smart person. And she really cares about me, and she has a plan for her future. She wants to be a philosophy professor at Silas University. She is just paying her students loans to star grad school. She said she can do it in less than a 1 year.”

Mr Hollis looked intrigued, Laura knew that look, it was the cop in him taking the lead. “Did her parents help her with college fees, or she is paying this all by herself?”

“She is paying all by herself. Her parents are dead.”

“Hum. Didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, they died in car accident when she was 9.” Laura explained.

His cop face melted to a sympathetic one “When we were cooking she just said that her parents were really bad at cooking but eventually she learned it by herself.”

Laura nodded matching his face “Yes, she had to, she lived a lot of years in foster homes, in some places she needed to do it by herself or she would starve to death.”

“Really?” He wrinkled his forehead.

Laura nodded again “I don’t know much about her childhood, but I all know is that the good things happened when her parents were alive.”

Her father looked a little more sympathetic “This is really sad, kiddo. But I’m still afraid that Carmilla can’t support you and your baby.”

Laura rolled her eyes “Dad, this is not the fifties and Carmilla is not my husband.” 

He rose his hands in defense “I’m aware of that, Laura, don’t start your feminists rants. But you know what I mean, if you really want to raise this kid right, you need a better plan.”

“Dad, let me worry about it. You have to let me make my own mistakes and, you know, live my life.” She said in a high pitch tone.

“You know how I am, kiddo. I can’t help it.” He raised his eyebrows and his shoulders.

“Can you at least try, dad? So we can enjoy the little time you are here?” Laura said in a thoughtful tone.

“Alright. I’ll try” He sighed, scratching his head. “By the way, I’m really happy for this baby of yours.” He finally gave her a content smile.

“Thanks, dad.” Laura gave a half smile to him. “And don’t worry about me and Carmilla. We’ll be fine.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was about one hour in her shift when she received the first text from Laura.

 

 **Cupcake (12:15a.m.):** Dad and I are finally ok again, well sort of

 **Carmilla (12:15a.m.):** I’m really glad to know that, Cupcake

 **Cupcake (12:15a.m.):** Me too.

 **Cupcake (12:16a.m.):** So, the bowling plans are up for tomorrow… or latter today.

 **Carmilla (12:16a.m.):** I’ve never played it, so be prepared for a disaster on my part

 **Cupcake (12:17a.m.):** Oh, bad for you, cause we play in pairs and you need to bring a partner to face us

 **Carmilla (12:17a.m.):** How come?

 **Cupcake (12:17a.m.):** Me and my dad are a team. Now you have to form your team too. 

**Carmilla (12:18a.m.):** Why?

 **Cupcake (12:18a.m.):** It’s kind of a tradition in my family.

 **Carmilla (12:18a.m.):** What a lame tradition.

 **Cupcake (12:18a.m.):** :p

 

Carmilla didn’t want to ask that, but it was bugging her.

 

 **Carmilla (12:19a.m.):** You did that when you were dating Danny?

 **Cupcake (12:19a.m.):** Yes

 **Carmilla (12:19a.m.):** Who was her partner?

 **Cupcake (12:20a.m.):** Perry.

 

“On no, thanks.” Carmilla said to herself.

 

 **Carmilla (12:20a.m.):** Ok, I’ll bring someone.

 **Laura (12:20a.m.):** Great!

 

Camilla looked to Kirsch across from her in the prescription counter. She attended the only costumer who was in the store and walked to talk to him.

 

“Hey beefcake, what do you know about bowling?” She said leaning on the counter while Kirsch was trying to read a book.

“That I’m probably better than you.” He said without taking his eyes off the book.

“I like your attitude. Want to pair up with me to play against another team?”

He looked at Carmilla “It depends. There is food involved? Or a hottie?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Yes and yes. You can have whatever food are they selling there, but the hottie is my girlfriend.”

“Karnstein with a girlfriend. Is that for real?” He said with a goofy smile.

“Very real, my friend” She cleaned her throat “So, are you in or out?” She made a disinterested face.

“When?” Kirsch mirrored her expression.

“Tomorrow night. It’s your day off too, right?”

He nodded “Yeah. Ok, I’m in, but you own me one… with a hottie, single this time. Deal?” He extended his hand to Carmilla

“Deal.” Carmilla rolled her eyes but shook his hand anyway. “ Hey, do you still have that van?”

“Yes, why?”

“Maybe I’ll need a ride.”

 

**+++**

 

When Carmilla arrived in the apartment in the morning, Laura was still sleeping in her bed. Carmilla stripped her clothes, keeping only her underwear. She made herself comfortable on the bed, spooning Laura who was laid on her side.

 

“Morning, Carm.” Laura said with a sleepy voice, feeling Carmilla pressed against her back.

“Morning, Cupcake.” Carmilla whispered in her ear. She placed some kisses in Laura’s neck and jaw.

 

Laura pulled Carmilla’s hands, kissing them. Carmilla kept her trail of kisses in Laura’s back, pulling her shirt down to reach more skin. That moment in the mornings was like a ritual for their early activities.

 

“Dear Lord” Laura said feeling goosebumps forming on every part Carmilla was kissing.

Carmilla snaked her hands down Laura’s body, tugging the hem of her shorts. Laura held Carmilla’s hands in place, turning her neck to the side.

“Not today, Carmilla.”

“What?” Carmilla asked surprised, turning to a frustrated tone “Why?” Laura never said that about sex before. Never.

Laura turned her whole body to face Carmilla. “Not with my dad in the next room.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes “He probably sleeping. He won’t hear a thing, this walls are very thick.” She said kissing Laura’s neck again.

“He has good ears. Remember… cop ears.”

“But he is kind of old.” She chuckled lightly, then looking more serious to Laura “Are you serious?”

“Yes! No… but I rather feel this horny the entire day than to have my father hearing me having sex.”

“This is not fair” Carmilla touched her nose with Laura’s “to both of us.”

“Yes, I know. Believe me, I really want to eat you right now, but we can’t”.

“Did you have to say that, Cupcake. Now I’m the one super horny.” Carmilla said in a very frustrated and whine tone.

“Now maybe you can have some sympathy for me.”

“I’m always sympathetic for you.”

“I know.” Laura chucked placing another sweet kiss in Carmilla’s lips “Let’s just cuddle, until I have to go to work.”

“But I just love sex with you in the morning.” Carmilla said in a whine and seductive tone.

Laura sighed brushing Carmilla’s hair “Me too. Just hold a little, Carm.”

 

**+++**

 

It was the middle of the afternoon when Carmilla got a text from Laura. It was hard for her to sleep thinking about everything she wanted to do with Laura that morning and everything Laura said she would do with her. But eventually she fell asleep, but not without the lustful dreams she had like when she was just wondering about the possibility to be with Laura. That was just so frustrated. She looked to her phone, still feeling the ghost sensation of Laura touching her.

 

 **Cupcake (02:03p.m.):** Are you awake?

 **Carmilla (02:04p.m.):** Kind of

 **Cupcake (02:04p.m.):** Forget about it

 **Carmilla (02:04p.m.):** I’m awake, Cupcake. Could not really sleep after what almost happened this morning

 **Cupcake (02:05p.m.):** I forgot some papers on the coffee table, can you bring them for me? They are really important

 **Carmilla (02:05p.m.):** Ok. I’ll just take a shower and I’ll be there in 15.

 **Cupcake (02:05p.m.):** Thanks! ;D

 

Carmilla took a quick shower that helped her to feel a little more awake. She found Mr. Hollis on the living room watching another game on the TV.

 

“Ready for the game tonight, kid?” He said animated to Carmilla.

“As ready as one amateur like me can be, Sir.” Carmilla grabbed a small pile of papers over the coffee table.

“Have you found a partner for you team?” He asked with a genuine curious look.

“Yes. He is kind of my secret weapon.” Carmilla said in a playful tone.

“Alright. Cant’ wait to see your moves.”

“Don’t expect anything special from me, Sir. I never played bowling before.”

“I think you are just hiding your game.” He winked for her.

“I wish.” Carmilla gave him a sympathetic smile “Well, I’m taking this for Laura in the office.”

“Okay.” He nodded.

Carmilla nodded back “Ok. Bye.” She waved for him and left the apartment.

 

Ten minutes later, Carmilla was arriving at the I Do Wedding Planning, when she realized she needed to ask to Laura about that silly name. She barely knocked on the door and Laura was pulling her inside, pressing Carmilla against the door, as soon as it was closed. Laura jumped on Carmilla’s bones, kissing her with fervor.

 

“Your papers.” Carmilla said raising her hand with Laura’s request, when their kiss where broken.

“Thanks.” Laura said taking the stack from Carmilla’s hand and kissing her again.

“Eager much, Cupcake?” Carmilla said when Laura retrieved a little.

“We have like 10 minutes or less before Perry and Laf return.” She shoved the papers on the armchair, pulling Carmilla with her.

“Oh no.” Carmilla said before Laura would throw her on the blue sofa. “I don’t want to be caught by the ginger squad in here.”

“Well, if they did it, we can too.” Laura said kissing her again.

“I’m feeling you don’t just want to make out on the couch, so we need to be smart about it.” Carmilla said breaking the kiss.

“Alright, alright.” Laura looked to the restroom. “I know.” She pulled Carmilla in the direction she was looking for, just stopping to take her phone on the coffee table.

“Better.” Carmilla said when they entered the restroom. Laura placed her phone on the counter, locked the door and pushed Carmilla against the wall, pulling out her shirt. “Hey!”

“What?” Laura froze looking irritating to Carmilla.

“We can’t be naked in here. We have be to practical.” Carmilla protested. “What if they come early?”

“So what do you suggest?” Laura said taking her hair from her face.

“Let me handle this.” Carmilla squeezed her arm, unbuttoning Laura’s navy blue dress shirt.

“So I can be naked.” She complained.

“Just this much.” She looked around and to Laura long beige skirt. “How clean is this bathroom?”

“Very. Perry just cleaned after lunch, nobody used since.”

“Perfect.” Carmilla went to the toilet, pulling Laura along. She sat on it, gesturing for Laura to sit of her lap, facing her. She unbuttoned all the remained buttons on Laura’s shirt, pulling down her bra, without unhooking it. “Wow, they are getting really big.” She said looking at Laura’s exposed breasts.

“And very sensitive, please be careful.” Laura advised.

Carmilla gave her best smirk “I’ll be.”

 

With her index finger, Carmilla touched lightly Laura’s left nipple. The touch was so soft, Laura barely felt it. Then Carmilla traced a line around the breast, following to the next, doing the same. Laura let out a low moan. Carmilla smirked grow as she approached to the left nipple, just breathing over it.

 

“Let’s see if we can make you come just touching your boobs.” She said before she covered the nipple with her mouth.

“What?” Laura said at last, before she was making noises that she could not control the shape or the volume.

 

Carmilla gently nipped the beak, and used her tongue to suck the skin, while her right thumb was making round motions over the other breast. Her other hand were lightly cupping the left breast under her mouth. She inverted her movements and then did the same with the other breast. Laura felt like she was getting next to moon or maybe lost somewhere in the vastness of the universe. The extra sensitivity of her breast and Carmilla touch was enough to take her to the edge.

 

Her moans were increasing and her hip were unconsciously bumping against Carmilla. If they had more time, Carmilla surely would keep that until Laura came undone completely under her touch, but it was not the case, so she had to be a little creative, so she folded up Laura’s skirt and slipped her hand under it and inside her panties. It was already soaked. Her other hand held Laura’s back, while she brushed her clit just enough to make Laura body trembling and convulsing until she reached the peak. Laura let out a shamefully load scream, arching her back and her head, only secured in place by Carmilla’s grip.

 

Carmilla left light kisses on Laura’s neck, while her girlfriend was coming back from her orgasm. Laura’s phone ringed and she gesture for Carmilla pointing to her phone. Carmilla stood up with Laura on her lap, turning again to the toilet, sitting Laura on it carefully. She gave a peck in her forehead before her hands left Laura completely.

 

Carmilla took Laura’s phone over the sink counter and read a text from Lafontaine “We’ll take another 20 minutes, the clients are late.”

“Great.” Laura said between breaths. She looked down at her underwear “Oh crap, I ruined my panties.”

Carmilla chucked “Opps!”

Laura opened her eyes widen to Carmilla “Give me your undies.”

“What?” Carmilla raised a eyebrow.

“You just showered, right? They must be very clean and I need it.”

“Yes, they are, but it’s not like I’m dry either.” She shrugged. “Oh, actually I am.” She made a goofy smile “Wait.”

Carmilla pulled out her shoes tossing them on the floor and took off her purple jeans and placed it on the counter. She was wearing a black cotton panties and a pad attached on it. She pulled them out, yanking the clean pad from it. “See, all clear.” She said waving the panties to Laura and tossing the pad in the trash.

“Why you were wearing pads?”

“My period is coming any minute today, so I’m prepared.” 

Laura hutched propping her elbows over her knees “I totally forgot about it. I’m free of periods for the last 4 months.” She sighed “the only good side effect of pregnancy.”

Carmilla walked to her, giving Laura a delightful smile “Well, at least you can have sex every day, nonstop.”

Laura suddenly was very aware of Carmilla naked bottom. Her moth was dry while she looked shamelessly to Carmilla wet folds. She took the underwear from Carmilla’s hand, tossing it to the counter and stood up.

“Your period hasn’t come yet, right?” She looked with lustful eyes to Carmilla, giving another step and touching her shoulders.

“Right.” Carmilla said gulping, looking surprised to Laura and then dropping to stare at her exposed boobs again for a second.

“Great.” Laura smirked. “Can you lay on the floor for me?”

Carmilla looked uneasy “But I’m half naked and-”

“And the floor is very, very clean.” Laura said raising her hands to touch Carmilla’s cheeks “Please, Carm? You’re gonna love it.”

Carmilla finally understood what Laura was doing. She nodded downing herself until she was lying on the cold and hard white tiled floor. Laura rearranged her breasts back in her bra, closing her shirt again. She stood on her knees and two hands, hovering over Carmilla. She grabbed Carmilla’s legs, gesturing for her to keep them folded and spread. Laura knew Carmilla was past foreplays, so she just went for it falling mouth first on her core.

 

Carmilla gripped her own hair up in her head while Laura was eagerly eating her out. Laura was hunger than ever, savoring every inch of Carmilla, teasing, sucking and nipping. Carmilla was trying to muffle her moans with her hands, but it was almost a useless attempt. Laura was not unsecured like the first time. She was focused on a mission to bring Carmilla to the unknown, somewhere way beyond the moon.

 

When Carmilla was feeling all of her limbs in collapse, Laura gave a last suck on her clit, pushing two fingers inside Carmilla. She leaned her body up Carmilla’s, giving her a wet kiss while her fingers kept thrusting in her G-spot. Carmilla grabbed Laura hair desperately, moaning in their kiss, curling her tongue against Laura’s, savoring herself in the process. Laura gave her a couple of pushes before Carmilla was breaking in a thousand pieces under her girlfriend. Laura eased her hand movements while rolled to her side. She was happy to have a very cleaned and very spacious bathroom in her office.

 

“Cup… cake… damn…” Was all Carmilla was able to say.

“I know.” Laura smiled to her, giving her a light peck before she stood up and walked to the toilet. She took out her soaked underwear and dried her parts with toilet paper, then dressing Carmilla panties. “This is really soft.” She said feeling Carmilla’s underwear on her skin.

“Yeah.” Carmilla said still stuck in her dazzle of pleasure.

Laura looked in the mirror and took a brush to settle her hair in place. She fixed her shirt and skirt and looked back at Carmilla on the floor. “Are you alright there?”

“Peachy” Carmilla made her an OK sign. “I’ll get myself together in a minute. You can go ahead, just don’t let anyone get inside, in case I’m still on the floor.”

Laura laughed “Are you sure you can come up on your own?”

“Of course.” Carmilla said with a soft voice “I just need to breathe a little more.”

“Ok. But if don’t come out in 5 minutes I’ll have to call someone to lift you up.” Laura grabbed her underwear in tucking it inside Carmilla’s pants pocket. “And take this home for me, please?”

“Ok, Cupcake.”

Laura blew a kiss to Carmilla while she was at the door. “Oh, thank you for the papers. And the panties.”

“Papers, right.” Carmilla let out a weak chuckle “Anytime, Cupcake. Anytime.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bowling night next! Carmilla makes a surprise, while Laura still struggles with her father concerns.
> 
> Next chapter will be probably up next Thursday maybe, before the last episode of season 2, cause I don't know if I can survive after.


	14. The Girlfriend Experience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the bowling night right around the corner, Carmilla wants to surprise Laura, but she is the one who will find more surprises on her way. And someone favorite character is back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got to finish this a little early than I've planned.  
> R.I.P. canon Danny.

**Chapter 14 – The Girlfriend Experience**

 

Even though Laura and Carmilla said they were officially dating for 2 weeks the reality was different. As girlfriends they were together for 2 days. They didn’t have a first date yet. They hadn’t been out in the world as a couple. The only time they went on a sort of date was the night at The Panther, where nothing that happened there could be considered PG-13. And now their first official event as a couple would happen in a family place with Laura’s family: her father - a very protective sheriff of a small town in Minnesota. Carmilla knew all the pressure of the night and even then, she had a secret plan (and nothing PG-13 about it) to please her beloved girlfriend Laura Hollis.

 

The game would start at 9 p.m. and Carmilla had the most ridiculous plan to action: to tell the truth. She knew she could not bullshit her future father in law, so she would come clean with him. Or kind of it. After she finally got herself together in the bathroom, she left Laura with a kiss and headed to the only place in town she knew where she could buy flowers: The Bella Donna Flowers shop. She borrowed Laura’s car promising to bring it back later for the surprise.

 

When Carmilla entered the large shop, she was not sure what kind of flowers Laura liked. She heard Laura talked a lot about flowers, but they were mostly for the weddings. Laura mentioned a couple of times how tulips was beautiful, but she also liked roses and lilies. A young man came to help her, seen Carmilla lost among the vast variety of plants.

 

“May I help you?” He said getting closer to Carmilla.

“Yes. Do you have tulips? I don’t understand much about flowers but I want to some for a present.” She explained to him.

“Yes, we do. I’ll call my boss to help you with that, she knows everything about tulips, just wait a minute.” He said politely, leaving for a door in the back of the shop.

Carmilla stood there looking for some cards and fancy paper wrapper. After 2 minutes a beautiful blond and short woman was coming through the door to greet Carmilla. She was wearing a very short blue jeans shorts and a military green tank top. Her legs were perfectly molded. If Carmilla’s guess were right, that woman was Donna, the horny florist.

 

“Hey there, pretty lady.” She said with a huge smirk for Carmilla, extending her hand “I’m Donna. You are looking for tulips?”

Carmilla looked for the florist with a raised suspicious brow before she shook her hand briefly. _Bingo._ “Yes, I am. What do you have for me?”

“We have a great variety, you came to right place.” She gesture for the red back door “Come with me, please.”

Carmilla nodded and followed her through the door that Donna closed right after Carmilla passed it. “So,” Donna said while leading Carmilla to the very back of the large storage “I’ve never seen you around before, are you new in town?”

She really do not waste time, Carmilla thought. “No, I’ve living here my whole life.” She said following the short girl. Donna was shorter than Laura, and Carmilla could not believe how a small girl like her could cause so much trouble.

“So you are probably from the south part, huh? I’m sure if you lived around I would remember you.” She stopped and turned to Carmilla “I would never forget a pretty face like yours.”

“Yes, I live in the south.” Carmilla made a frown “Are we getting closer to the tulips?”

“Right this way.” Donna gesture for the door of a large fridge, never leaving the smirk on her face.

She opened the large door and turned the lights on “We have all of this variety, you can choose your favorite.”

Carmilla looked at the flowers and knew what would be the best “The yellows. I want the take them on a glass vase so the flowers can survive for more than a day.”

“Good choice.” Donna said nodding. “How many flowers for your vase?”

“How many you can fit in one medium vase like this?” Carmilla gesture with her hands measuring 6 inches from one hand to the other.

Donna tiled her head to the side squinting her eyes to Carmilla’s hand and humming “I think three it’s a good number.” 

Carmilla downed her hands again “So three it is.”

Donna took the flowers carrying them carefully out of the fridge. “Follow me to choose the vase, I’ll make a beautiful arrange for you.”

 

They walked back to the storage and Carmilla pointed to a glass vase on one of the selves and Donna guided her to her workbench, next to the red door, tulips and vase in hand. “So,” she said preparing the flowers in the vase “it’s yellow your favorite color?” She said taking her eyes from the flowers to Carmilla.

“No.” Carmilla said bluntly “It’s my girlfriend favorite color.”

The smile on Donna’s face faded a little. “Oh, she is a lucky girl, huh?”

“Oh no, I’m the lucky one.” Carmilla said crossing her arms and smiling “You probably know her, she is a very good client of yours.”

“Really?!” Donna looked back at the vase “What is her name?”

“Laura Hollis” Carmilla answered still keeping the pride in her smile.

“Ah, the wedding planner, of course.” Donna shook her head, her smile faded almost completely. She finished the arrangement with a large and well made yellow and white bow.

“So you must be Danny.” She said turning to Carmilla. It was always a pain in the ass to listen people thinking Carmilla was Danny. Apparently Laura talked a lot about her, but not many people actually met her.

“No. I’m Carmilla. Laura broke up with Danny for a while now.” She looked with a firm smile for the vase. “It’s really beautiful, Laura is gonna love it.”

“She will.” Donna turned to Carmilla “Tulips are her favorite. You chose right. Right flowers and right color.” 

“How much I own you?” Carmilla said pulling her wallet out of her pocket with an unexpected black lacy panty hanging on it. “Oh no, I’m not going paying you with these” She said chuckling nervously, tucking Laura’s panties back in her pocket. She blushed instantly and averted Donna’s eyes.

Donna’s smirk was back with a small chuckled “You know what? It’s on the house.”

“No, I insist, you made such a nice job.” Carmilla said awkwardly, still out of her place.

Donna raised her hands to Carmilla and shook her head “It’s my treat. Laura it’s a great client, she deserves it. And so you.”

“Ok” Carmilla could not sustain her arguments any more.

“It’s true you’re going to have a child?” Donna said with curiosity and a pinch of hope in her eyes.

Carmilla felt a stranger sensation with the question. It was the first time someone was refrain Laura’s baby as her own too. “Yes it is” She said nodding and feeling happy about it. It was a stranger and good sensation. Very good.

“Congratulations!” She offered her hand to Carmilla again, who shook it with a sense of pride.

“Thanks!” 

“Let me put the vase in a cardboard box, so you can take it safely.” Donna secured the vase for Carmilla, giving it for her. Carmilla took the box and Donna leaded her to front door.

“Don’t forget to water it with ice cubes once a week.” She said before Carmilla left the store.

“Alright. Thank you for everything” Carmilla waved with one hand to Donna.

“You’re welcome” she said waving back.

_Well, that was unexpected._

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was back to her apartment with the beautiful arrangement of tulips. She placed it over the kitchen island removing the paper box. Mr Hollis was coming from his bedroom and saw the scene of Carmilla with the flowers.

 

“You bought them for Laura?” He asked smiling timid.

“Yes.” She stood by his side admiring the flowers. Donna was really good with the arrangement. “You know,” she turned to him “tonight will be the first official date between me and Laura, so I thought I should buy some flowers for her.”

“Oh, kid, and you’re having your first date with this old man as a third wheel?”

“Well, that what I wanted to ask you sir.” Carmilla knew it was time to start the other part of her pain. “Do you mind if you go ahead to the bowling alley while I have a moment with Laura and the flowers? It will be really quick.”

He chuckled “Of course. No problem.” He patted her shoulder. “But, how we will proceed with the logistic of it? Do you have a car?”

“No, but you can take Laura’s car, then my friend and bowling partner Kirsch will come and take us on his van.”

“You have thought about everything, huh?” He nodded and gave a firm and sympathetic shake on her shoulder. “Alright. Want to grab something to eat? My treat!”

“Sure, just let me visit the girls room and I’ll be right back.”

“Okay!”

 

Carmilla almost ran to the bathroom when she remember her period was about to come and she was not wearing even an underwear. She sighed relieved when she saw that she almost ruined her pants. Luckily it was purple and barely spotted. She crossed the hall to her room to take another pair of clean pants and underwear before she returned to the bathroom and applied a tampon to hold everything in place. She took a painkiller for her eminent cramps and hoped for the best.

 

They had a pleasant meal at the Mrs Claus. Carmilla didn’t know that that place was Laura’s favorite restaurant in town. She took advantage of this moments with Laura’s father to learn more about her girlfriend.

 

“So, have you prepared something to write on your card?” He said to her.

“What card?”

“The card within the flowers. You haven’t bought one?”

“No.”

“Kid, have you never got flowers from a girlfriend before? Or boyfriend?”

“No.” Carmilla chuckled “No, Sir. Laura is just my second girlfriend, my first one never got me flowers. And I never had or ever intended to have a boyfriend.”

“Ok. Luckily I’m here to save you. Laura doesn’t like to admitted, but she is a helpless romantic.”

“Really?”

“She loves romantic gestures, romantic movies, romantic books, you know.”

“So, let’s buy this card.” Carmilla said convinced.

 

It was just an excuse to ride along with Laura in Kirsch’s van. But the gesture become much more important than Carmilla thought it would be. She was nervous about the message she would leave in the card. She never wrote anything like that to Laura before. That was not just a text. That should be really meaningful. She thought about the things she had wrote on the new book she was creating. She drafted a couple of notes before she reached the right one. With her best calligraphy, she wrote down the card to Laura.

 

Carmilla dressed herself casually, she knew that bowling was not a fancy thing. She wore a black ripped jeans a grey tank top with a plaid blue shirt. It was about time to be more herself around of her future father in law. She found him sat on the couch wearing a striped yellow and blue shirt that looked like a baseball uniform. The pants were navy blue, like his shoes.

 

“Looking fancy Mr. Hollis.” She said in an amused tone to him.

“Bowling is a serious matter in the Hollis family” He said standing up and showing the back of his shirt with “Hollis Ducks” printed on the back.

“Hollis Ducks?” Carmilla said laughing even more.

“Well, Laura was 8 when she picked the name. She was in a duck phase.” He shrugged.

“I’ll be just ‘the other team’” Carmilla said pointing to her blank shirt.

“Not for too long kid. You may don’t have a shirt, but you and your pal will have to chose a name.” He smiled showing his teeth “Like I said, this is very serious business in our family.”

“Noted.” Carmilla said and looked at the hour on her cell phone, Laura would be home soon.

“So, I think it’s time for me to leave.” He grabbed his bowling bag and Laura’s keys over the counter. “I will warming up our lane. See you soon, kid.”

“Ok, thanks again, Sir.” Carmilla nodded to him and Mr. Hollis left.

 

Laura was getting home with a ride from Lafontaine. She did not understand what Carmilla was up to, but just go along with it. Carmilla hided the flowers on the guest room before Laura saw it when she got home.

“So, where is my surprise?” She said eagerly greeting Carmilla with a kiss at the front door.

“Almost there Cupcake. Actually it’s a 2 part surprise. The first you will get right after you get ready to go.”

“And the second?”

“Wait and see.”

“Okay.” She kissed Carmilla again. “I’ll take a shower and dress in my lucky uniform.”

“Oh, you mean dorky uniform?” Carmilla teased.

Laura pouted “I’m pretty sure you didn’t say that to my father when he was wearing his uniform.”

“Course not, I don’t want to be arrested.” She kissed Laura’s pouted lips “Don’t take too long, your father is waiting for us.”

“I’m going.” Laura whined and left for the bedroom.

When she returned, Laura was welcome in the living room by a very fancy tulip vase in Carmilla’s hands.

Laura opened a big smile “What is that for?”

“A girl cannot give some flowers for her girlfriend?” Carmilla handed Laura the vase. “Did you like it?”

“I love it!” Laura said taking a last look at the flowers before she pulled Carmilla for a sweet kiss. “It’s so beautiful! So, you paid attention, huh?” She nudged Carmilla and then her eyes caught the small card tucked in the middle of the bow.

“I always do.” Carmilla said with a wink.

Laura placed the vase over the island and took the card from the bow to read it. Carmilla held her breath at the sight.

 

_Dear Laura,_

_I hope today will be the first of many dates that we will have in our lives. Because life with you is just so perfect. I can’t get enough._

_Love,_

_Carmilla_

 

Laura was already feeling the tears forming in her eyes. She blamed the hormones, but she knew it was more than that.

“How can you be so sweet, Carm?” She said turning to Carmilla “Thank you.”

Carmilla was right behind her, pulling Laura’s chin to place a kiss on her lips. They both smiled into the kiss, ruining it in the best way.

“I take back what I said.” Carmilla was still holding Laura on her arms “Your uniform is very cute.”

Laura chuckled and kissed Carmilla again. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Come on, Kirsch is waiting for us downstairs.” Carmilla held Laura’s hand and soon they were heading to Kirsch’s van.

 

Laura and Carmilla greeted Kirsch through the driver’s window in a simple wave. Carmilla opened the van door to Laura, telling her to wait a minute in the back seat. She walked to Kirsch’s window, and talked to him in a low tone.

“Hey, I have a last request for you.”

“Your girlfriend is the hottie nerd? I knew it!” He said with half of his body out the window.

“Yeah, yeah, you were right. Listen…” Carmilla looked to both sides to prevent any intruder to pry “Can you stall a bit to get to the bowling alley?”

“Why?”

“This is a kind of special night for us, but my future in-law is staying with us and we can’t have much time alone.”

“You want to bang her inside my van?” Kirsch said a little too loudly than he should.

“Don’t be such a pervert!” Carmilla slapped him with the back of her hand “Not everything is about sex, Jeez!” 

Kirsch looked a little embarrassed brushing his arm. “Ouch.”

“I just want a moment of privacy, this is our first date as a couple officially, and I just want some minutes to celebrate it without no one around, ok?”

“So you’re just going to make out and stuff?” 

“Yeah, I would never do that in a public place, meathead. I’m not a teenager and she is expecting, so be careful with us.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot that. Say no more.” Kirsch made an apologetic face. When Carmilla told him in the drugstore about Laura’s baby, she got a big surprised reaction from him. She knew how hard it would be every time she needed to tell that story to people. And how hard it was for Laura to explain the same thing. Nobody could really understand why she was dating a girl who was expecting a child she had nothing to do with. It was one of the very annoying things she was not cut to deal with, but she had to. And she loved Laura too much to care about other people opinion.

Carmilla turned around the van and entered it, sitting by Laura’s side.

“Finally.” Laura said while Carmilla was buckling her belt. “What were you talking so much?”

“Nothing, just giving him the direction to the alley.” Carmilla said in a casual tone.

“It’s not that hard.” Laura made a confused that turned into more confused when Kirsch pulled the curtains behind his seat, blocking the view from them, turning the radio right after. He change the stations settled on a romantic low tempo song.

Kirsch started the van and pull out, heading to the bowling alley. Kind of.

“What is going on?” Laura said looking to a very amused Carmilla.

“He is just giving us some privacy.” Carmilla shrugged putting her left arm around Laura’s shoulder.

“Okay.” She said in a suspicious tone. Carmilla smiled to Laura and then kept her eyes looking at the street.

While Laura was also paying attention to the houses and buildings passing outside, Carmilla was hovering her face next to Laura’s. “Hey.” She said in a low husked voice “you look really cute in those uniforms.”

Laura felt the hair in the back of her neck stood up, but she kept looking at the window. “Thanks.”

Carmilla placed her right hand on Laura’s thigh, making small circles over it. She inhaled Laura’s scent tugging her nose by Laura’s ear. “And you’re smelling so good. What is that? Coconut shampoo?”

Laura felt instant waves of desire coming from Carmilla’s touch on her thigh and neck traveling to her core. “Carm, stop that.” She said with her eyes closed.

“Why? Are not enjoying the ride?” Carmilla used her best seductive voice. Even she was getting horny with all the whispers.

Laura turned and faced her “What are you doing?” her eyes was a mix of concern and lust.

“What do you think?” Carmilla gave Laura her best smirk, moving her hand a little more closely to Laura’s inner thigh.

“Oh God” Laura finally realized what Carmilla was doing “You set this up with your friend?”

“He doesn’t know anything about your fantasy, sweetheart, I just asked for some privacy. Relax.” Carmilla kissed Laura’s jaw, expecting for her next reaction. Laura let out a small moan.

“Are you sure?” Laura said unease, unable to deny the desire growing inside of her.

“Yes. You can just enjoy yourself, Cupcake.” Carmilla said in her ear, nipping Laura’s earlobe right after.

 

The van ran over a speed bump making a subtle movement up and down. The wave made Laura to enter into a zone of new sensations. She realized that her fantasy was becoming real. So she grabbed Carmilla’s jaw and kissed her hard. Carmilla kept her hands firms on Laura. Her right hand wasted no time snaking inside her pants. In an instant she was rubbing Laura’s swollen clit. Laura moaned again with the touch. Carmilla sucked her lower lip, biting Laura’s lip and pulling her for another wet kiss. The van ran over a hole, making Laura feel more waves of pure pleasure. She tried to hold her moans, but it was hard. She hoped the music was load enough.

 

She was almost coming when Carmilla used her other hand to massage Laura’s left boob over her shirt. With another bump of the car, Laura was reaching the peak of the unthinkable, somewhere she never thought it was possible to get in. A place where her fantasies were not just another thing she needed to push behind her mind. It was right there happening. Real. Real and amazing, in the hands of the girl she loved. Yes, she loved Carmilla. How could she not? How could she not love someone who was willing to do everything in her power to please her? To love her? She knew loved Carmilla. So much.

 

It almost came out from her lips, when she felt the air coming out from her lungs with a rush of pleasure. She held it. Even when Carmilla was kissing her lips again. When Carmilla looked at her, sucking her own finger with a dirty smile. Carmilla was so sexy and beautiful that it was hard to believe sometimes that she liked her. Liked no, loved. Carmilla loved her. How was that possible?

 

Laura was recomposing herself when they were around the Kobold Bowling, Silas only bowling alley. Kirsch turned off the radio and waited for a while before he opened the curtains to look at a very behaved couple staring at each other like nobody else mattered.

“Here we are!” He announced with his goofy voice.

They looked at Kirsch and smiled. Well, that worked just fine.

 

**+++**

 

Mr Hollis was practicing his moves when the gang arrived at the lanes.

“Hey, Kiddo, seem you have loved Carmilla surprise?” He said with a wink for a very smiling Laura.

“Huh?” Laura was suddenly out of her dazzle of happiness.

“Beautiful flowers, right?” He said lifting a ball.

“Riiiight!” Laura said relieved, “Yeah, such beautiful tulips.”

 

Carmilla and Kirsch came right back with their rented shoes. Carmilla introduce Kirsch officially to Laura and Mr. Hollis, the atmosphere among the group was nice and friendly. Kirsch was the first to throw the ball, making a spare. Mr Hollis was next and he made a strike right off the bat. He smiled smugly to Carmilla and Kirsch while coming back to sit on his place. Carmilla was next and she barely knew how to hold the ball.

 

“Wait.” Laura say coming to her rescue. “This is how you hold the ball, see?” She grabbed a red ball and showed it to Carmilla “There is a reason for his holes.”

“I’m not so clueless about this, Cupcake. I think I can throw a ball.” Carmilla said annoyed.

“Alright, do whatever you want, Lady Killer.” She winked for Carmilla while she waited for her girlfriend to make a move.

Carmilla felt confident with Laura seductive eyes over her, but when she actually launched her ball, it escaped from her hands and went straight to the gutter.

Laura smiled smugly to Carmilla like her father, Carmilla looked at her with narrow eyes. “I see what you did Hollis.”

“I don’t know what are you talking about Carmilla, I was just trying to help you.” She shrugged.

“Right.” Carmilla took another ball from the rack and she held it with her two hands, throwing the ball forward in the middle of the lane. It was a slow ball, but it hit the pins anyway, downing 5 of them. She looked with a smirk to Laura. “Well, I think my method is messy, but it worked.”

“You are going to see what really works.” Laura said turning to the rack to find her father right behind her with a pink ball on his hands.

“Use this one, kiddo.” He said handing the small ball to Laura.

“But, dad…” Laura whined holding the light ball on her hands “this is a child ball, my hands barely fit in the holes.”

“This is safer, Laura.” He gestured for her to walk to the line of the lane “Those balls are too heavy for you, and dangerous.”

“Dad, I can take a heavier ball, I’m not sick, just pregnant.” She complained not moving to the lane.

“Just give it a try, maybe it will work better than you think.” He insisted gently.

“Alright…” She mumbled walking to the lane.

Carmilla was there with her arms crossed a very amused grin on her face. “My Cupcake with a pink child ball, that’s so cute.” She talked to Laura with a condescend childish voice.

“You’re going to see, Carmilla.” She held the ball in front of her head and folding her knees a bit.

“You’re the one who started.” Carmilla retorted while Laura made her move and throw the ball, making a strike.

“Ha!” She said turning to Carmilla and pointing her fingers for her. “Who is the child now, huh?”

“At least I use an adult ball.” Carmilla shrugged and placed her right arm over Laura’s shoulder while they walked to the seats. Laura pouted and Carmilla kissed her cheek.

 

The night advanced with more strangers throws from Carmilla and lots of strikes from Mr. Hollis and Kirsch. Laura was losing her patience with the small and light balls her dad gave her, refusing to use one again, after she hit the gutter. She got her way this time, using a heavier ball, but not so heavy, and finally she was back to the game. The Hollis Ducks won the first game for a difference of 20 points, and Laura asked for a rematch. She knew she could do better.

 

Carmilla was amused with this side of Laura she never saw: the competitive Laura. She was so invested in the game that she jumped and celebrated every good move with a happy dance and also complained a lot, even pouting every time she downed just a few pins or none. Carmilla didn’t care at the results, at all, but tease Laura was becoming her favorite thing to do. It was so easy. Even Kirsch was getting in the game and making Laura work hard to knock down all the pins she could.

 

“Hey Carmilla, I’m starved, bring me something to eat, Like a burger.” Said Kirsch after he made another strike plopping down on the seat by Carmilla’s side.

Carmilla looked annoyed to him with a brow raised “Don’t forget our deal.” He added nudging her shoulder.

“That doesn’t mean you can be rude.” She nudged him back.

“Please?” He made a pleading face.

“Alright.” She stood up and asked to Laura and her father what they wanted. Everybody was in the mood for cheeseburgers.

 

She walked to snack bar in the front and ordered 4 cheeseburgers and 4 sodas for a brunet girl who was attending her. The girl was very friendly and while waiting for the food to be ready, Carmilla noticed how the girl was checking the group on her lane. She was not sure if the girl was looking at Laura or Kirsch, but she was certainly very interest in one of them.

 

“Are you single?” Carmilla asked casually while the girl was just idle by the cash register.

She looked a little startled to Carmilla, breaking her eye contact with the person she was checking out. “Yes… but I’m not interested in girls.”

“Great.” Carmilla looked back again and she saw Kirsch walking to the rack to take a ball for his next shot. “Cause you seem interested in my friend. The tall guy with puppy eyes over there.”

The girl blushed and smiled “Is that obvious?”

“Yes.” Carmilla said confirming the girl concerned. “You know, he is not the sharpest tool in the box, but his is really a great guy.” She kept saying it casually “And he is single too.”

The girl smiled again, looking at the counter “I’m kind of shy around guys handsome like him.”

“You don’t have to.” Carmilla said in a encourage tone “You are really pretty and Kirsch is not intimidating, at all.”

“So, his name is Kirsch?” The girl said with curious eyes.

“Wilson Kirsch, but nobody really call him Wilson. It’s kind of a lame name.”

“Wait.” She made a hand gesture to Carmilla and turned to the kitchen window to take her burgers. “Your order.” She placed a tray with the burgers and turned again to take the sodas.

“I’ll take this first and the sodas next.” Carmilla said to her, lifting the tray from the counter.

“Sure.” The girls answered while she was filling the cups.

“By the way, what is your name?” Carmilla asked before she left.

“Sarah Jane.” The girl said “But people call me S.J.”

“Alright.” Carmilla nodded and walked back to the lanes. One of her favors for Kirsch was about to be paid.

 

Carmilla placed the tray over the small table in front of the seats of the lane. “Where are the sodas?” Kirsch demanded. Laura and her father was discussing again about the balls weight next to the balls rack.

“Can you be any more rude?” Carmilla said taking a wrapped burger for her.

“I’m just thirsty.”

“You are going to get the sodas for us and the girl for you.” Carmilla said with her mouth full.

“How come?” Kirsch looked really confused.

“See that pretty girl over the snack bar?”

Kirsch looked at the S.J. who blushed immediately after. “Yeah.”

“She’s interesting in you. Her name is S.J., she is waiting with our sodas.”

“Really? Are you not messing with me Karnstein?”

“I own you, so I’m paying you. Go there and get her number before she changes her mind.”

“That girl is really interested in me?” He pointed to himself, still disbelieved.

“Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.” Carmilla reassured him.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, man, just be gently with her and don’t screw this up.” She warned him. “And don’t call her ‘hottie’ or any deplorable sexist name.” Carmilla looked to S.J. waiting with a tray full of sodas. “And don’t take too long to bring the sodas either. You’re not the only one thirsty.”

“What is going on?” Laura said sitting right next to Carmilla. “Great, I’m starving.” Her attention was diverted to the burgers, she took one right away.

“Kirsch is going to bring the sodas and maybe get that girl number.” Carmilla said looking from Kirsch to the girl.

“She is cute.” Laura said after she checked the girl “Go there, Kirsch! Good luck!”

“Right?!” Kirsch said nodding. “Well, I’m going.” He stood up and straightened his back before he walked to snack bar.

“Cute?” Carmilla said looking to Laura with puppy eyes.

“Yes.” Laura said placing her hands around Carmilla’s neck pulling her closer “But you are cutter.” She kissed Carmilla tenderly.

The sound of Mr. Hollis cleaning his throat cut off the couple “It’s your turn Carmilla.” He said sitting by Laura’s side. “Oh, burgers.” He looked at the trail and stoop up again “I’m going to wash my hands.” He left for the restroom.

“Ok, let’s do this.” Carmilla held Laura’s hand kissing it, before she stood up and walked to the rack.

 

Laura placed her burger back to the tray and stood up too. She headed to the lane line where Carmilla was choosing another weird way to throw the ball. Carmilla looked to Laura by her side with a genuine smile.

“Allowed me?” Laura said getting closer to Carmilla.

“I that another tactic to make me lose?” Carmilla looked suspicious.

“No.” Laura shook her head, the smile growing on her face. She remembered how she realized she loved Carmilla and how she just wanted to be back in their apartment so she could tell her. 

“Who is winning?” Carmilla said looking for score screen.

“I’m not keeping the score anymore.” Laura said touching Carmilla’s hand. “Here, turn your arm like this.”

“Are you sick or something?” Carmilla placed her free over Laura’s forehead. “You are kind of warm.”

Laura placed herself behind Carmilla, pressing her body against her “That’s because of you, Carm.” She pulled Carmilla’s waist with her other hand, bending them a little.

Carmilla let out a loudly breath, feeling the warmth of Laura on her body. “Now you hold the ball like this.” She twisted her right hand with the ball hooked on her fingers, keeping her mouth close to Carmilla’s ear “Your pulse must face the lane and your fingers need to keep the grip until you throw the ball forward. See? Now you do it.” Laura ordered.

“Ok.” Carmilla said almost moaning. She loved bossy Laura. She took the ball from Laura’s hand and hooked her fingers in the holes.

“Now you just have to lift your hand and arm.” Laura was still touching Carmilla’s hand while the ball was being raised “and launch forward fast and steady, aiming the center of the lane.”

Carmilla only mumbled a confirmation sound, following Laura’s instructions. She threw the ball like Laura taught her, and it was a successful hit. She downed 8 pins, her best mark so far.

“Yes!” Laura cheered with jumps and her happy dance, like she was the one who downed the pins.

Carmilla was laughing, more amused by Laura’s actions than her new score record. “Not bad” She nodded and curled down the corners of her mouth, like a meme.

“Now, you can take those easily. Go get them, Tiger!” Laura cheered again, clapping her hands.

Carmilla tried to remember Laura’s tips for her and threw the second ball, downing the remained pins. Laura was jumping again, pulling Carmilla for a thigh hug.

“Thanks for the lesson.” Carmilla said holding Laura and giving her a kiss. She didn’t know why, but Laura was extra happy in the last minutes.

They returned to their seats, and Mr Hollis was finally eating his burger. “Nice shot, kid. But you’re still losing.”

“Well, I think if I dedicate myself to this, I can beat you next time you coming to town, Sir.” Carmilla said with some confidence, grabbing her burger again.

“You don’t have to take so long kid. I’m not going anywhere so soon.” He said with satisfied smile.

“What do you mean?” Laura asked with her eyebrows furrowed, sitting between her father and Carmilla.

“I was going to wait to land the news later, but since you mention it, I’m telling now.” He shrugged “I’m moving to Silas.”

Laura grabbed Carmilla’s arm with a firm grip on it, frozen in place.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't die on the season 2 finale. I'll do my best to keep my heart functioning (and I do have heart problems... pray for me too!)


	15. The Things That You Said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and her father get into a fight and Carmilla is not sure what she is suppose to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you after the finale? I'm super happy!
> 
> This was the chapter I had the most difficult to write. I'm not too keen to write family drama, but sometimes it's necessary. Also the dynamics was hard too. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think about it, please!

**Chapter 15 – The Things That You Said**

 

“You what?” Laura asked with panic eyes after a moment of silence. She wanted to be sure if her ears were functioning right.

“I’m moving in.” Her father answered with a satisfy smile.

“But why?” Laura was squeezing Carmilla’s arm even harder. Carmilla place her hand over Laura’s in an attempt to easy the grip.

“Lots of reasons.” He crossed his arms and leaned his back on the seat. “First, I’ve missed you a lot kiddo, we only see each other on Christmas and on your birthday. Some years not even then.”

“We can visit more.” Laura suggested with a high pitchy voice “I can go to Minnesota too.”

“When was the last time you’ve visited me, Laura?” Laura didn’t know. A year? Maybe 2? 

“But what about your work?” Her mind could not know when she visited her father, but it could find ways to make him change his mind. “You can’t leave your men alone for too long, you always say how they screw things when you are not around.”

“That’s the second reason. I’m retired.” He smiled for her again, like he knew how Laura would fight all of his arguments, but he was prepared. “I’ve trained new rookies and promoted Charlie to take my place. It was about time, I’m tired of my job.”

 

And, in the middle of that situation, Carmilla was feeling out of place again like she was not supposed to hear that fight, like those things had nothing to do with her. But they did. It was hard to accept, even to deal with it, but that was her new reality. It was part of Laura’s baggage, and she needed to carry it with her, because it was her baggage now too.

 

“But… what about our house?” Laura asked with a new shade of panic in her eyes. “Our family house will be there abandoned?”

“No. I just put it for sale.”

“You what?” Laura had tears under eyes, they came as fast as the news hit her. “No! No, no, no, you can’t sell our hose, dad!”

“Laura, it’s time to move on. That house is too big for me and I’m sure you are not going to live there again, so it is the best decision.”

“No dad, this is wrong, just so wrong! How you did this without asking me?”

“You can take a last look if you want to, I didn’t sell it yet.” He said defensive.

“I don’t want a last look dad. I want things to be the way they were.” Laura was screaming now.

Mr Hollis shift his back from the chair, inclining to Laura “Laura, you need me here. You said yourself that you’ve planned to have your baby with Danny by your side and now your future is unsure and money is tight. I’m here for you and your baby, don’t you get that?”

 

Carmilla felt bad. Excluded. Like she was there, but she was not a part of Laura’s family. Because she was not really. She wanted to scream to Mr Hollis to say how he was been unfair. How rude of him was to assumed that Laura and her was not ready to raise the baby. But then again, she was not sure where she stood with Laura on that matter. Their relationship was still too new, too fragile.

 

“I told you I don’t need your help, Carmilla and me are fine.” Laura said shedding some tears. Carmilla felt a little bit better, but not enough to say something.

“You and Carmilla?” He shook his head to both girls “I don’t mean to offended you kid,” he stared right to Carmilla “but you two are just dating for a couple of weeks and this is a serious matter” he looked back at Laura “if you split you will be on your own again, Laura, and I can’t just wait for that to happen and do nothing to protect you before it’s too late.”

Carmilla raised her voice to say something. She was not sure what to say, but she could not be quiet anymore. “Sir-“ And then Laura interrupted her.

“Dad, Carmilla and I are in love.” She said pointedly. “We are doing our best to make this work, and I have never been happier in my entire life with anybody else like I am with Carmilla right now.”

Carmilla’s heart was exploding inside of her. She just wanted to hug Laura and say how much she loved her too, giving her kisses after kisses until her mouth got hurt. So she just squeezed Laura’s hand under her own.

Laura kept going “I want you to stop it now! You’re not protecting me, you’re smothering me! Again!”

He father features dropped all at once and a frown was forming in its place “What do you mean? I’m smothering you again?”

“Why do you think I left Minnesota, dad?”

And with that both father and daughter felt devastated. Laura held Carmilla’s hand and stoop up “We are leaving.” She said waiting for Carmilla to get up.

Carmilla looked confused between the two stubborn Hollis, and she followed the one she cared for the most.

 

Kirsch was finally returning with 4 cups of soda when he saw Carmilla and Laura leaving the alley.

“What just happened?” He asked to a hurt Mr. Hollis.

“Bowling night is over, kid.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Carmilla got a taxi to return to their apartment. Laura was furious with her father and herself. She was walking between the kitchen and the living room ranting about everything in her mind. Carmilla was silently leaned against the kitchen island with her arms crossed watching Laura.

 

“He wants to do it all over again! Like I am 9 forever! I will never be able to be an adult around him! I get it, he feels bad about what happened with my mom, but I’m not her, and I can’t control the rest of the world and I won’t stop living just because I can be in danger and…” She looked at Carmilla, exhaling a deep breath and tilting her head down “we will be fine, right?”

Carmilla nodded and gave a step in Laura’s direction opening her arms “Right.” Laura walked to her and held Carmilla, burring her face in Carmilla’s shoulder and crying again.

“Why am I doing this?” She raised her head looking Carmilla’s in the eye “He is my father… he is the only family I have in this world.”

“I’m your family too, Laura.” Carmilla said in a gentle tone. “And so is them” She placed her hands over Laura’s bump “We are here for you.”

Laura nodded her head hugging Carmilla again. “I love you, Carm.” Carmilla smiled tenderly, running her finger on Laura’s hair to soothe her. Lara sobbed more before she was able to speak again. “I’m sorry I said in a moment like this, but-“

“I love you too.” Carmilla said looking Laura in her eyes, brushing her hair from them. “And yes, we are going to be fine, I promise you.”

Laura nodded to Carmilla touching her lips softly with her own. They walked in each other’s arms to the bedroom. Their routine to get dressed and fall to sleep into the bed was silent and bittersweet. Carmilla spooned Laura keeping her even closer than the usual, like she could disappeared at any moment.

 

**+++**

 

Only Carmilla heard the sound of the knocking on the door. Laura was sleeping deeply. She got up with a messy hair falling on her eyes to peak to a concerned Kirsch and a dizzy Mr Hollis on the other side of the door. She opened it, giving way to her friend and father in law, who was been dragged by Kirsch.

 

“He is wasted” Kirsch said before Carmilla could ask anything. She closed the door and then helped Kirsch to take the man to her guest bedroom.

They laid him on the bed and Carmilla took off his shoes while Kirsch pulled the covers on him.

“My sweet girl hates me.” Mr Hollis mumbled in his dragged voice.

“He said that a lot.” Kirsch commented.

Carmilla approached him and said in a quiet voice “She doesn’t hate you, she is just mad.”

“How do you know?” He said looking at Carmilla for the first time since he returned.

“Because she loves you. And she is just like you, Mr Hollis. Stubborn.”

“Yeah…” He let out a giggled “That’s my Laura.” The pep talk made some effect on him, cause he felt asleep right after.

Carmilla and Kirsch left the room. “I own you another one, Kirsch” Carmilla said when they reached the front door.

“Don’t worry about it Carmilla. Despite the fight, I had a lot of fun tonight, with the bowling and the girl – by the way I got her number and we have a date, thanks!” He showed his two thumbs up for Carmilla.

“You’re welcome.” Carmilla nodded and pointed to the room behind her “Did he drink a lot?”

“Oh yeah.” Kirsch nodded resting his palms on the small of his back “He went to a bar right next to the alley and drank a lot of whiskey.”

“This is really fucked up. Sorry for leaving you alone.”

“I get it, don’t feel sorry for me, man. You just stoop up for your girl. Luckily I was around.”

“Yes, thanks, man.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura woke up in the middle of the night after a bad dream. She was sobbing and woke Carmilla in the process. 

“What is going on?” Carmilla said gently brushing Laura’s hair.

Laura turned to Carmilla, hugging her tightly “Just a nightmare. I was running away from someone, I don’t know who they were, but they almost got me. And you… you were dead.” She cried harder in Carmilla’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey, Laura, I’m fine, I’m right here. And you are fine too.” Carmilla said soothing her with a calm voice.

“Where is my father?” She asked suddenly realizing what happened hours before, facing Carmilla again.

“He is sleeping. Very soundly. He went to a bar after the fight and drank a lot, but he is fine. Kirsch brought him a couple of hours ago.”

“It’s been a while he hasn’t drink. I probably hurt him a lot.”

“No.” Carmilla was wiping the tears from her eyes “Don’t beat yourself up because of the fight. You were mad, and so was he. You both said things you didn’t mean.”

“Maybe that is true, but… I still feel bad cause I don’t want him to move in. And I don’t want to hurt his feelings anymore either. What do I do?”

“I don’t know.” Carmilla hugged her again. “But I’m sure we are going to figure out something. In time.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla found Mr Hollis drinking a big glass of water on the stool island. It was past noon and Laura was already at work.

 

“Morning, Sir.” Carmilla said turning on the coffee machine, even though it was not morning.

“Morning.” Mr Hollis said with one hand scratching his head.

Carmilla prepared two mugs of coffee placing one in front of her father in law, while she sat up on the stool beside him. He looked awful up close, with dark mars under his eyes.

“Thanks” He said taking the mug and sipping.

“No problem.” Carmilla said taking some of her coffee too.

“You probably hate me too, huh?” He said in low voice.

“No, I don’t Sir.” Carmilla turned her face to him “But I didn’t like the way you underestimated me. And Laura. She is right, we are fine.”

“I like you Carmilla, you are a good kid. But you have to understand how I feel about what you and Laura are doing.”

“You think we can’t handle it?” Carmilla concluded. She didn’t want to have that conversation, but it was necessary.

“Yes.” He answered honestly.

“Why? If this is about money, it’s not a problem really.”

“It’s not just money. It’s about responsibilities. And control, focus. You don’t seem to have a plan. You’re not playing house, a baby is a serious matter.”

“You think I don’t know that? I was very aware of Laura’s condition when we started to date.”

He shrugged “Well, what I think doesn’t matter anyway. Laura made it very clear she doesn’t want me around, so I will step back.”

Carmilla sighed frustrated “Laura is having a hard time with her pregnancy, you don’t have to take everything she said too serious. Her hormones are driving her crazy.”

“So what I’m supposed to do?” He looked genuinely lost. Carmilla didn’t have an answer either, she could only offer support.

“Maybe just give her some time.” She suggested.

Mr Hollis agreed with Carmilla. He decided to leave for a hotel, while he waited for things to cool off with Laura. Carmilla almost protested, but she knew that maybe it was better for them, so she helped him calling for a taxi, while he gathered his belongs.

 

**+++**

 

When Laura got home from work, Carmilla had cooked a meal for them. They ate almost in silence, talking just about some things that happened with a couple Laura was dealing with.

 

“So, how is my dad?” She asked after another moment of silence.

“He is fine. He got a hotel room for him.” Carmilla said casually.

“He is going to leave without talk with me?” Laura could not avoid feeling concerned about her father.

“He is just waiting for things to cool down.” Carmilla explained.

“I don’t know what to do, really. Did he say something for you?”

“He said if you wanted him away, he would leave.”

“I just wanted that he wasn’t so paranoiac and so overprotective.” She sighed frustrated.

She gave Laura the same advice she gave her father, to give it some time. The days passed and father and daughter kept in silence. Carmilla was getting concerned at Laura lack of talk in the next days. Even her sex cravings were settled. She was getting bad dreams every night, only sleeping when Carmilla reassured her that everything was alright.

 

After 4 days of this cruel routine, Carmilla decided to do something. She could not stand to see Laura unhappy like that anymore. She borrow Laura’s car and drove to Mr Hollis hotel. She announced her presence in the front desk and waited for him in the lobby.

 

The man looked even more defeated than the day he drank after the bowling fight.

 

“I want to show you something, Sir.” Carmilla said in a firm tone to him. He nodded and followed her.

 

Carmilla drove Mr Hollis to her old childhood house. She parked right in front of the front door and they both let out of the car. Carmilla opened the small and rusted gate for Mr Hollis and came after him, stopping on the front lawn.

 

“I want to buy this house. For me, Laura and the baby.” Carmilla said outspoken, looking at her future father in law. “I know its old and it needs a lot of work, but it has a solid structure and it’s in a very good neighborhood.”

 

He looked to their surroundings, crossing his arms and looking back at the suburban one story house. The walls were grey from the lack of care and panting. The gutters were clogged up with leaves and dirty. The grass was all over the garden, some windows were broken, others completely blocked with wooden boards. The roof was missing some shingles, and was also filthy like the walls.

 

It was a big house. The neighborhood looked really nice. He noted the old For Sale sign laid on the ground, almost disappearing in the mess of the front lawn.

 

“How long is this house for sale?” Mr Hollis asked looking at the sign.

“15 years.” 

He furrowed his brows looking at the house again “Why nobody bough this house so far? If it worth of something, like you said?”

“Because there is a rumor that the house is haunted. The formers owners are dead.” She kicked a soda can that was on her way “People heard strange noises coming from here since the house were abandoned. So, even though the house has a good price, nobody wants to pay to see if the ghosts are real or not.”

“And, you are not afraid of the rumors? Or the suppose ghosts?” He said in a serious tone.

“Nope.” Carmilla shook her head “Cause I’m the one who caused the rumors. I’m the ghost.”

Mr Hollis furrowed his brows again, waiting for a better answerer from Carmilla.

“This is the home where I grew up, Sir. I didn’t mean to cause the rumors, but I used to came here when I ran away from some fosters homes, so… this is how it started.”

“Why you did not inherit the house?”

“My parents were paying the mortgage, but the bank took it back after their death, cause nobody paid the debt anymore.” Carmilla shrugged “Unfortunately they never imagined they would die at the same time and didn’t plan what would happen to me without them.”

Mr Hollis looked at Carmilla with sincere eyes “That’s very unfortunately, kid. I’m sorry.”

“I’m OK now. Better than ever.” She looked confident to him “Cause now I have a plan, and I don’t have much money, but I think if Laura and I keeping working hard, and I settle my debt, we will be able to buy the house and I can start grad school in one or two years.”

“Ok.” He nodded and turned to Carmilla, arms still crossed “I understand that you want to show me that you care about Laura and the baby, that you have a plan, but I’m concerned about others things too, kid.”

“Like what?” Carmilla asked.

“Laura said you work at a drugstore, so you probably earn a minimum wage. How can you pay your debts, your rent, afford a new house with a lot of things to fix and pay for your grad school? I don’t think this is possible, unless you have an extra source of incomings?” He asked the last part like he was on something.

Carmilla nodded “Yes, I do have an extra side job.”

“And what is it?”

Carmilla felt her confidence trembled. She had decided to come clean to her father in law, but she was afraid to be judge by him.

“I don’t know if I can tell you.” She took a nervous deep breath. “It’s not a very noble activity, Sir.”

He made a very inquisitive look “Why? It’s something illegal?”

Carmilla shook her head. “No. No, nothing like that. Totally legal.” She wanted desperately to look at the floor, but she was afraid he’d take that was a sign of weakness or dishonesty.

“So, if it’s legal, you should not feel embarrassing about it.” 

“I know, but some people would not approval.”

His features softened “Try me.”

Carmilla closed her eyes for a second to look even more serious to her father in law “I write books, Sir. They are mostly digital, and I sell them on the internet.”

“So, you are a writer? What it’s not noble about it, kid?”

“Its...” Carmilla cursed under her breath while she took another deep breath “I write erotic lesbian stories. I use an alias, so just some people know about it.”

Mr Hollis kept the same serious but soft expression “Does Laura know about it?”

“Yes, she does.”

“And she is OK with that?” He raised one eyebrow, like this was the question he cared the most.

Carmilla pressed her lips in a thin line before she spoke again “I don’t know if I should say this, but she is even a fan.”

Mr Hollis almost laughed, but held his expression on place, showing just more curiosity “So, you make some money from these books?”

“Yes. And quite a lot lately. Last month I got 2 thousand dollars of sales commission. And this month I already have 3 thousand accumulated. Soon I won’t have any more students loans to pay.”

He nodded satisfied “That’s really good, kid. If Laura have no objection to your” he cleaned his throat “side job, I don’t have a reason to.”

“So you don’t mind?” Carmilla looked almost hopeful.

“As long as you don’t care if I never read your work, I don’t mind at all.” He finally gave her a timid smile.

Carmilla exhale relieved. “Oh, no offense Sir, but you would be the last person I wanted to read anything I wrote. I mean, anything that is not very PG-13.”

“I get it. I get.” He chuckled. “Have you talked to Laura about the house?” He said back to a more serious tone.

“No yet. I was waiting for us to get more serious, I don’t want to scare her with a house.”

“That’s my other concern. I have to say, I never saw Laura so happier before, but you are not together for too long.”

Carmilla looked at him serious again, but with a lot of emotion on her voice “Sir, I never felt this way about anyone in my entire life. I know it’s early, and the future is unpredictable, but Laura is my whole world. I can’t imagine life without her and this baby that is coming. They are my family.”

Mr Hollis showed a sincere smile to Carmilla and pulled her for a hug. Carmilla hugged him back, feeling finally relived. “I’m glad she found you, kid.” He said to Carmilla.

They broke the hug and Carmilla looked happy and concerned at the same time “Are you going to stay around?”

“I’m not sure anymore. I have to talk to Laura and make things right. I won’t force my presence here.” He looked at the grass and then to the house again “At least now I know she is in good hands.” He smiled to Carmilla. “But please don’t tell her I said that. She will be really mad about me.”

“Don’t worry, Sir.” Carmilla nodded with a firm smile.

 

**+++**

 

Later in that same day, someone knocked the door of the I Do Wedding Planning office. Perry opened the door. It was Mr Hollis. Laura kept her eyes trained on her computer, while Perry greeted him and introduce him to Lafontaine. He commented how the place was even prettier than the last time he was there. Laura turned in her wheeling chair and finally looked at him with her sad eyes. Perry grabbed Lafontaine’s had and said something about a venue before they left, saying their goodbyes to Laura and Mr Hollis.

 

Laura’s father approached her with his arms crossed. He stood a few feet away from her.

 

“I will respect your whishes and stay out of your way, kid.” He said breaking the heavy silence.

“I never said I wanted you out of my way, dad. I just want be able to be an adult around you. That’s all.” Laura raised her shoulders and tilted her head to the side.

“It’s not easy for me to see these things happening with you and do nothing, Laura.”

“And that it’s your whole problem, huh?”

He dropped his head, taking a deep breath before he spoke again “Not if I step back. At least now I know I can trust Carmilla.”

Laura furrowed her eyes “Why?” then she raised her both eyebrows with the realization “Did you check up Carmilla’s profile?”

“Of course I did. You say to me you are having a child with a girl you’ve been dating for 2 weeks, what did you expect?” He was gesticulating with his hands like Laura usually do.

“You are unbelievable, dad.” She shook her head, standing up and walking to the break corner.

Her father followed her “Charlie faxed me a lot of information last night.” Laura kept an annoyed look while she prepared something with milk. “And are you not just a little bit curious too? I know you.”

She turned to him briefly “Yes, I am, but when I want to know something about Carmilla I just ask her, I don’t call an investigator to dig things from her past.”

“And how do you know if she is telling the truth?”

She shrugged “I just know.”

“So, you’re not interested in the things I found about her? You probably know all of them, I’m sure.” He said in condescending tone.

“I probably do.” Laura looked to her father with a confident smile, giving him a mug of hot chocolate.

“So you’ve heard about an ex-girlfriend who got jail time because Carmilla had a restrain order against her?” He took a sip of the cocoa.

Laura kept her smile “Yes I know. And she was not her girlfriend. She was just a girl Carmilla met.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” Laura knew he was fishing for more information. She didn’t want to mention the debacle on the club, not another thing for her father to worry.

“No.” She said pointedly. “It’s that all?”

“Oh no. There is also this side job of hers, I’m sure you know too and probably approves it.”

Laura smile faded “What side job?”

“Don’t you know about it?” He said pretending to be clueless. “Let me explain, it has something to do with some adult books.”

Laura felt her face burning red “Ok, just stop it, you don’t have to explain! I know about it and I don’t care either.” She walked to the white rug and sat down on one of the armchairs.

“Alright.” He nodded following her and sitting on the blue couch. “I think she really didn’t hide anything from you. Unless…”

“Unless what, dad?”

He took a very long sip on his mug, taking some time to speak again “No, you probably know this too.”

Laura rolled her eyes “Stop the teasing, what is it?”

He shook his head “Nope, I’m not going to say. You can ask her.”

Laura growled “I knew you’re gonna do it.”

“Well, the bottom line is, Carmilla it’s not a saint, but she a decent person. And I feel better leaving now.”

Laura pushed her eyebrows together, while fidgeting with the mug handle “You don’t have to leave dad. I like having you around, minus the whole paranoia and overreaction. And I really wanted you to see your grandchild to grown.”

“I want that too, Laura.” He said with a weak voice “Did you really come to Silas because of me?”

Laura raised her eyes to her father again “To be honest dad, it was part of the reason. I wanted to feel like an adult and I could not let you pay for college if I got one for free.”

He nodded “Alright. I understand.”

“Why did you decide to move now? It’s because I’m pregnant, or-“

“No, I decided it for a long time now. I’m done with that town, and I’m done with Minnesota. Everything there still remains me of your mother and I accepted she is gone. I had hoped she would appear eventually, that maybe she’d lost her memory and I would found her, like in a movie and everything would be fine again.” He sighed “I don’t know if she is dead, or she just left because she wanted. But I’m done waiting for her, I need to move on with my life. And I was missing you so much, so I thought that here, near you, would be the best place to start a new phase in my life.”

Laura gave him a half smile “It is a good idea, dad.

“I can’t promise that I will change, Laura. But I can try. Just say to me when I cross some line. I didn’t know it was this bad for you. And I can keep the house if you want, but I won’t live there anymore.”

Laura stood up and hugged her dad. “So stay dad” She said crying, he stood up to hug her properly “Stay and we will figure this out. We can make this work, right?”

He nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes, he was crying too “Are you sure?” 

“Yes. I’ve missed you too, dad.”

“Okay” And he hugged Laura again.

 

**+++**

 

Back at home, Laura was welcome by Carmilla. She told her the talk she had with her father, explaining they made a deal for him to be around again. He was going to return to Minnesota in the next day to arrange everything for his moving, but that would happen in probably a month. Laura was not sure if she wanted the house to be sold or not yet. Carmilla was glad to see Laura’s eyes shining with happiness again. Laura leaded them to bedroom and showed Carmilla how much happy she was.

 

With their bodies wrapped in each other, Laura was brushing Carmilla’s hair for a change, placing sweet kisses on her forehead.

 

“So, when it’s your birthday?” Carmilla asked, still smiling after all the good time she just had “I remembered your father mentioning he only saw you on Christmas and on your birthday.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe we don’t know that.” Laura said really surprised.

“What?”

“Our birthdays.” Laura said like it was obvious, giving Carmilla another kiss. “We are lazy girlfriends. When it’s yours?”

“Mine is far.”

“When?”

“November 7th. What about yours?”

“You’re a scorpion, that explain a lot.” Laura said in a low tone.

“If you believe in astrology crap…” Carmilla mumbled, she pressed Laura again “What about you?”

“I’m a Gemini, of course.”

Carmilla raised her head looking slightly annoyed to Laura “I mean your birthday, sweetheart.”

Laura rolled her eyes and talked casually “July 15th.”

Carmilla raised both eyebrows “Next week? We need to do something about it.”

Laura coved her face with her free hand “No, I’m getting too old.”

“We are all getting old, stop complaining.”

“But I’m always will be older… when you’ll turn 28 I’ll be 32.” Laura made an adorable pout.

“And you will probably look the same.” Carmilla reached for Laura’s lips giving her a light kiss. Laura growled and kept pouting. “Stop with the pouting, tell me, what do want to do for your birthday. Maybe a party?”

“No, no parties. I’m really not in the mood for parties.”

Carmilla kept her face hovering above Laura’s “Ok. So, maybe a present?”

“You gave me flowers, I don’t need anything else.” She removed her hand from her face and raised her head to kiss Carmilla briefly. “And they are still alive.”

Carmilla hummed content brushing Laura’s belly. “What about your list? Is there something special you want to do?”

Laura smiled and blushed “Well… there is.”

Carmilla squeeze her waist “So, tell me.”

“Hum… I was curious about one night stands and the whole Mircalla thing.”

Carmilla raised an eyebrow “I told you Mircalla is fiction.”

“I know, but I’d like to know how it would be in real life. I never had a one night stand. Ever.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes hiding a smile “Alright. I think I can do something about it.”

Laura giggled and pulled Carmilla for another kiss. Carmilla knew what Laura wanted, but she was no sure if she was going to like it. Well, at least Carmilla would have some fun. Maybe a lot of fun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst with Papa Hollis will be over soon, next chapter will be much, much hotter.  
> And, in other news, I did a tumblr page to post some things about writing but also relate to Carmilla. I won't update a lot, but I invite you all to check it out: theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	16. One Night Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Laura birthday and Carmilla is going to impersonate her beloved book heroine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to change the fic rating cause things get a lot hotter in this chapter, so I think it's safer. Be advised!
> 
> Also, we are reaching 100K words after 16 chapters, so it's another thing to celebrate besides Laura's 28th birthday.  
> Thanks for sticking around!

**Chapter 16 – One Night Stand**

 

Carmilla woke up with the sound of a whining. She opened her eyes and removed the pillow that was stuffed on her face. She closed her eyes again, bothered by the sun light who was shining through the window. She covered her eyes with the pillow again, mumbling something that made sense only on her mind.

 

“I’m sorry.” She heard in response from Laura. The tiny Cupcake closed the curtains, making the room a little more bearable. 

Carmilla removed the pillow again, looking to Laura getting desperate in front of the mirror. It was Tuesday morning, and Carmilla was enjoying the last hours of her Monday off, even though she would only going to work again later in the day. She never cared much how her work schedule was the opposite to most people. She enjoyed to be awake all night, but never liked the idea of sleeping during the day. Living with Laura was just making the experience getting worst by the hour. On her off days she tried to keep up with Laura schedule, just to suffer in double on her next shift. She was feeling like a zombie most of the time on the drugstore. She was taking energy drinks every night to keep her awake until the end of the shift. In the process she was having some pain in her stomach during the mornings. She was really considering to looking for another job or to try changing to the day shift. The idea was stronger on her mind every time she felt the consequences of her different routine, like in that morning.

“What is wrong?” She asked in her sleepy and now more audible voice.

“Nothing is fitting me.” Laura complained while she tried to button up her suit pants. “I’ve already lost all my pencil skirts and I can’t keep using the same pair of beige and blue long skirts that still fit me.”

“So buy new clothes” Carmilla said like it was the obvious solution.

“I don’t want to buy something that I will only use for a few months. It’s a waste of money.” Now she was trying to make her dress shirt to cover her belly without revealing her unbuttoned pants. “How do I look?” She asked turning to Carmilla with real hope on her eyes.

Carmilla opened her eyes more widen “Turn to your side.” Laura turned “Now walk to the other side of the room” and after some steps, Laura’s pants was on the floor “You look hot.” Carmilla said giving Laura a thumb up.

Laura huffed pulling her pants up “This is serious, Carmilla.”

“I was serious.” She said defensive “You asked how you looked. And you look hot without your pants.” She tried to smirk in her sleepy face.

“Can you stop been so adorable when I’m been like a pain in the ass.” Laura whined sitting on the bed and pouting.

“No.” Carmilla said sitting up, crawling in the bed and lying again, with her head in Laura’s lap this time, facing her belly and wrapping her arms around her torso “Cause you are _my_ pain in the ass.”

Laura let out a chuckled, tilting her head down to Carmilla, brushing her hair. “So you think I should go work without pants?”

“No.” Carmilla folded up Laura’s shirt hem and kissed her exposed belly “I think you should not go to work at all.”

Laura closed her eyes feeling a warm and good sensation from Carmilla’s kisses. “I love you Carmilla, but you are not helping me here.”

Carmilla stopped the kisses and eyed Laura for a brief second before she started to blow raspberries, holding Laura’s back to keep her in place. Laura let out a squeak arching her back to avoid the contact from Carmilla’s lips on her belly.

“Oh my God, Carmilla! I swear-“ And Carmilla moved her face up blowing more air in Laura’s stomach “Carmilla, I’m going to-“ And after more giggles, high pitchy screams and lame attempts of threats, Laura was fully laid on the bed with Carmilla on top of her, now trading the blows to kisses on Laura’s belly.

Laura was wiping her face with the tears she let out with all of the laughs, and Carmilla was trailing her torso with more kisses, unbuttoning her shirt in the process. With her face just above Laura’s breasts she looked at Laura with a smirk, stopping all of her movements.

“I can stop if I’m not helping you” she said with the most teasing voice Laura’s ever heard.

“I’m going to kill you if you stop” Laura said with her eyes blow, lost in her cravings getting the best of her again.

“You’re very bossy when you are angry, Cupcake, why is that?” Carmilla licked her lips, looking at Laura with dare eyes.

“You poke the bear, now you’re gonna have to go all the way in” Laura said in a husky voice clutching Carmilla’s hair and pushing her down.

 

Carmilla got the message. That was the first time Laura had done something like that, directing Carmilla to the middle of her legs. It was bold, new and very bossy of her. Carmilla felt herself even more turned on. She pulled out Laura’s pant with her panties in the process. She was not going to stall, she was going direct to business. That was only the second time she was going down on Laura since they started to have sex in the last month. The first time Laura was so sensitive that Carmilla never finished what she started. And that was also the first time Laura got oral from someone in her life. Carmilla was waiting for Laura initiative to do it again. And in that time it felt so right.

 

She started gently, but Laura asked for more. So Carmilla did it, moving her head up and down in a steady rhythm that was driving Laura crazy. Carmilla held Laura’s legs more firmly spreading them widen and going deep with her fierce tongue. Laura grabbed the sheets and moved her body mirroring Carmilla’s motions. Carmilla felt more awake and vivid in that morning, with Laura’s moans and panting getting louder and intense by the second. She loved to taste her girlfriend and to make her melt just using her tongue and lips. Laura was getting to the edge and Carmilla speed up the process getting a response in return. Laura was shaking and moaning in delight. It was music to her ears. She could not feel her stomach aching or her head dizzy with sleep. She could only feel Laura shinning under her.

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Carmilla walked through the Silas Mall holding hands and looking at the stores. They entered in a large department store and Laura went straight to pregnant section. The calm vibe she was feeling since the activities in the morning, was been replaced by a rage with the price of the clothes.

 

“Damn it! They are basically the same clothes but with just a little more fabric, it should not cost so much!” She said with a pair of jeans in her hands.

“It’s not so much” Carmilla said trying to sound aloof looking at the price tag. It was really very expensive.

“Not so much?! I can buy 2 of the regular size.” She huffed “I know I’m sounding like my dad, but I refuse to pay a small fortune for these!”

“Laura, we are splitting the costs, don’t worry about it.”

“Carmilla, you don’t have to pay for my clothes. And it’s not just the money, this is an assault! I won’t pay this much!” Laura dropped the pants and walked further in the store aisles.

“Laura.” Carmilla said rushing and grabbing Laura’s wrist “Come here.” Laura was stiff but it took not long for her to relax a little with Carmilla’s touch. “We have a deal, don’t we?” She was holding Laura’s hands and speaking with her a in a gentle tone.

Laura let out an annoyed moan “We are splitting the costs of everything.” Carmilla kept saying “Don’t stress so much about it, think about the baby, okay?”

Laura nodded hugging Carmilla. “Because he or she is more important than clothes prices.” Carmilla said kissing Laura’s hair.

“I know. But I really hate to be explored. Let’s go to a thrift store, I refuse to spend this much in things that I won’t use again.”

“Well, you never know.” Carmilla raised a brow looking at Laura again.

“Are you really thinking about more children, Carmilla?” Laura was surprised and intrigued. 

“Just in a distant future, Cupcake.” She justify. “Do you want tiny human to be an only child?”

“It worked for us.” She shrugged. 

“Not really.” 

“Well, I want to deal with one first” She patted her belly “then, maybe, I will think about more children.”

 

Carmilla looked a little upset, but she just nodded and placed her arm over Laura’s shoulder. They walked to leave the store when they found a huge sign with “On Sale” writing on it above a basket with baby clothes on it. Laura’s eyes were attracted to tiny outfits and pulled up a small tank top with a duck draw on it.

 

“They are so adorable.” She said placing the shirt above her belly. Carmilla opened a huge smile and place a peck on Laura. Laura smiled back to Carmilla, looking at the price tag and widening her eyes. “They are really on sale!”

 

In the next hour or so, the couple forgot about the pregnant clothes and got more baby clothes than they tiny human would probably wear, but they didn’t care any less. Carmilla felt a little self aware every time Laura kissed her in front of other people. They rarely displayed so much affection in public places like that, but she could not care if people were staring or not (some of them looked with a warm smile, others just curious), Laura was happy and that was all that mattered.

 

**+++**

 

In the next morning, Carmilla was returning from work and found Laura laying on the couch with her belly up, flipping through channels. Carmilla dropped her bag over the island stool and walked slowly to the couch with an amused smile on her face. Laura finally turned her face from the TV, pouting the entire time.

 

“Happy birthday, Cupcake.” Carmilla said climbing on the couch and making her way over Laura. “Why the pout?”

Laura closed her eyes, letting the remote control over the coffee table. “I’m old.” She whined to Carmilla.

Carmilla kissed her left cheek, then the right. “Ready to celebrate?”

“Almost.”

“Why almost?”

“I have to find something to dress.”

“This is very casual, don’t sweat about it.” Carmilla carefully rested her body over Laura, paying attention to not let any weight over her 18 weeks pregnancy belly.

“I know, but I’m nervous.” She opened her eyes to see Carmilla.

“Don’t be, it’s just me.” She gave Laura a light peck in her lips “And I have everything prepared for your night with the famous Mircalla.”

Laura let out a chuckled, relaxing for the first time in that morning. “What a privilege.” She embraced Carmilla pulling her for a proper kiss.

“But..” Carmilla raised her head again “If you feel uncomfortable with anything just tell me and I will be back to reality, okay?”

“Okay.” Laura pulled Carmilla and gave her a lingering kiss, just breaking to breathe again.

Carmilla kissed her neck while Laura was brushing Carmilla’s small back. With her other hand, she caressed Carmilla’s cheek, bring her face up to another kiss. After a few minutes of just kissing, Carmilla broke their lips apart.

“I think we never did this.” She said kissing Laura cheek right after.

“What?”

“Just make out” Carmilla explained.

“Of course we did.” Laura protested.

“I don’t think so.” Carmilla kissed her gently and then passionately.

Laura wanted to argue with Carmilla affirmation, but something coming from the TV caught her attention.

 

_“…and one of US team Track and Field members is coming from Silas. Danny Lawrence is going to represent the USA in Rio 2016 Olympics….”_

 

Laura broke the kiss to look at the TV, seeing the image of a very known tall ginger ex-girlfriend. Carmilla was looking too, surprised by the timing. Laura sat up, pushing Carmilla gently to the side. The news was showing Danny running and making some stretching exercises.

 

A reporter was now by her side “How do you feel as the only resident in Silas going to the next Olympics Game?”

“Well, I feel very honored! It’s a privilege to represent our country and I will make my best to bring some Olympic gold to Silas.” Danny answered excited.

“How long have you been preparing yourself for the trials? It was too hard to get a spot?”

“I’ve been training for years, but only in the last 4 months I was really focused on my routines and gave 100% of my body and mind to the trials. It was hard! If I didn’t have some sponsors I would probably not be able to get in here, I would not have this spot in the national team for sure.” She smiled at the camera.

The reporter whished good luck to Danny and the piece was over. Laura turned off the TV with a blank expression.

 

“I hope she is happy.” She said finally. Carmilla looked uneasy for her.

“Yes.” She took Laura’s hand by her side and squeezed it. “Are you okay?”

Laura looked at her with a smile “Of course. That’s all Danny wanted. And what I wanted was for her to be happy, even though I thought I would feel miserable if she succeeded.” She signed. “Turns out, life had better things for me. Much better.” She nudged Carmilla and winked. 

Carmilla smiled back, pulling Laura’s hand and kissing it. She kissed her lips again and stood up. “I will get some sleep, okay?”

“Ok.” Laura squeezed Carmilla’s hand too. “I’ll run some errands, but I’ll see you tonight. To celebrate.”

“Yeah.” Carmilla smiled widen, feeling her heart beating calmly again.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was trying some pregnancy pants when her phone buzzed. She grabbed it from the stool in the fitting room.

 

 **Carmilla (6:34pm):** Hey Cutie, where do you want to meet me?

 

Laura realized they never made a detailed plan about the date thing.

 

 **Laura (6:35pm):** I don’t know… home?

 **Carmilla (6:35pm):** Who’s home?

 

Laura furrowed her eyes, what the hell?

 

 **Laura (6:35pm):** Ours!

 **Carmilla (6:36pm):** Last time I checked I wasn’t sharing my place with anyone.

 

Laura twisted her whole face. Did she get a text from a stranger?

 

 **Laura (6:36pm):** Carmilla, is this you?

 **Carmilla (6:37pm):** I think you’re confusing me, Darling. I’m Mircalla.

 

Laura covered her eyes with her hand, letting out a chucked. _So it’s begun._

 

 **Laura (6:37pm):** Oh, right, sorry!

 

She could imagine Carmilla smirking at the other side.

 

 **Laura (6:38pm):** I don’t know Mircalla, this is the first time I do something like this. You tell me where is the best place to meet you.

 **Carmilla (6:38pm):** Do you know a club called The Panther?

 

Laura rolled her eyes and mentally said _duh._

 

 **Laura (6:39pm):** Yes, I do.

 **Carmilla (6:39pm):** Can you meet me there at 8?

 

Laura looked at the pile of clothes over the stool and huffed. She got carried away with her shopping.

 

 **Laura (6:39pm):** Maybe 8:30?

 **Carmilla (6:40pm):** Ok, 8:30 it is

 **Carmilla (6:40pm):** And Laura… don’t worry, you’re gonna love it

 **Carmilla (6:40pm):** This night is all about you

 

Laura giggled, feeling like she was a teenager again, going to meet her crush for something very adventurous. She was already loving that evening.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was wearing a flowering blue summer dress. The strap on her shoulder was thin and light, and the hem was right in the middle of her thighs. The waist was loosened, not showing too much of her prominent belly. It was simple, but very beautiful. She didn’t know where or how Carmilla got herself dressed, cause when she arrived at their apartment at 7:30, she wasn’t there anymore. She put on a simple black Mary Jane shoes and left for The Panther on time.

 

She parked her car on the club parking lot and walked to the front door. She looked around but she could not see Carmilla anywhere. She grabbed her phone from her purse and started to type a text.

 

“So, you must be Laura.” She heard from behind her. She turned and met with the smirk smile she knew very well. Carmilla was wearing extra thick eyeliner and a very red lipstick. Her hair was down, with her traditional waves, but she also had a braid coming from the side of her forehead to her left ear, the rest of her hair pending to her right side. Only with this much of Carmilla’s visual, Laura was dropping her mouth open. She tilted down her gaze, taking in the rest of her girlfriend. Carmilla (or should she said Mircalla?) was wearing a very see through black lacy shirt and over it a black leather vest. On her legs, Carmilla was wearing a very short black shorts, stocking black socks above her knees and heel boots, also back, of course.

 

Laura almost gasped looking at Carmilla in such seductive outfit. She wanted to just jump on her in the middle of the street and have her way with her right there.

 

“Yes.” She looked at Carmilla eyes again, she was not just smirking, if possible she was also smiling very amused with Laura’s disconcert. “I’m Laura.”

“You’re are very beautiful, Laura.” Carmilla said approaching more “Better in person.”

“You too!” She smiled goofily to Carmilla.

“So, Laura.” Carmilla inclined, touching Laura’s hair, tucking a lock behind her ears “Do you want to dance a little or go straight to business?”

Laura was not expecting that. Carmilla was so much taller than her, that was intimidating. “I… I don’t feeling like dancing.”

Carmilla smiled widen “Maybe I can do all the dancing.” She winked.

“What do you mean?” Laura could not hold the awe.

“Come with me and I show you.” She took Laura’s hand, directing them to the parking lot. “You came driving, right?”

“Yes.”

“Give me your keys and lead me to your car.” She demanded.

 

Laura did not blinked and just handed her car keys to Carmilla. She was surprised to see how much different she was acting, like she was indeed a different person. They reached the red 3 Mazda and Carmilla opened the passenger door to Laura, closing it right after her girlfriend was inside. She turned around the car and entered it, starting the engine.

 

“Where are you taking us?” Laura asked not sure what to say in that situation.

“Direct to business, Princess. Isn’t that what you want?” She looked pointedly to Laura while they were leaving the parking lot.

“Yes.” Laura said with a weak voice.

Carmilla stopped the car and turned herself to Laura, looking serious and seductive at the same time. Laura was not sure how she could manage to do that. “If you change your mind, you can just say to me, at any moment. Do you know that, right?”

Laura was not sure if that was Carmilla or Mircalla talking. Maybe both. “I know.” She said more firmly this time. She knew how Carmilla needed her reassured.

 

The rest of the ride was quiet, none of them seem interested in making small talk. Laura felt like she was sinking inside of her fantasy at every minute. She was afraid if she talked much she would break the spell and ruin the entire fake one night stand. Carmilla drove them out of the town, going to the direction of San Diego. Another half hour of driving and they were reaching the fancy Marriott Hotel just by the beach. Carmilla stopped the car right in front of the hotel entrance. Two men from the hotel staff were right there opening their doors. One of them gave Carmilla a small piece of paper while the other was helping Laura to get out of the car.

 

Carmilla tucked the paper on her vest pocket, meeting Laura at the sidewalk, giving her hand to her girlfriend. Laura took Carmilla’s hand intertwining their fingers. They walked past the front door, where a doorman greeted both girls. Carmilla leaded Laura straight to the elevators lobby, pressing the button to call an elevator. Laura was in awe with the luxury of the place.

 

The elevator came and Carmilla pulled Laura with her inside. She took a plastic card from her vest pocket and slid it in the elevator panel. They automatic moved up. The ride was fast and also quiet. Laura looked sheepishly to Carmilla, holding all of the comments she wanted to make to her. They arrived at the 10º floor, and Carmilla guided them through the beige carpet of the long hall, stopping in front of the room 1025. She used her card to open the door again, revealing a very beautiful suite. By the king size bed there was a small round table with a bucket of ice and a bottle of champagne, accompanied with 2 cups.

 

Laura placed her purse over the bed side table, while Carmilla didn’t waste time opening the champagne bottle. Laura looked at the act, not sure if she should mention the obvious to Carmilla/Mircalla. Sensing Laura’s objection, Carmilla cleaned her throat and commented “This is alcohol free, Cutie. In case you’re wondering.”

“Ok.” Laura said in a high pitchy voice, resting her hands behind her back. She walked through the room admiring the details of the decoration. She noticed a vase with a collection of red and yellow tulips, that was clearly Carmilla’s touch, not Mircalla’s. When she turned back to see Carmilla, she was right there offering Laura a glass of champagne.

“Thanks.” Laura said taking the glass and sipping a little “That’s actually really good.”

“I think so.” Carmilla agreed, taking a sip herself and smirking to Laura.

 

After they finished their drinks, Carmilla took both glasses, placing them back on the table. She walked to the room door and placed a No Disturb sign at doorknob. She turned back to the Laura, walking past her going to the room closet. She opened it and took a small stereo, placing it on the round table. She took her phone from her pocket and tap on the screen a few times, before she set her phone on the stereo. She looked back to Laura, walking slowing to her, she pulled an cushioned armchair and place it in the middle of free space of the room, between the bed and the balcony.

 

Carmilla took Laura’s hand and guided her to stand in front of the chair. She released Laura’s hand, walking around her, looking at her body, from the shoes to the top of her head, the smirk never leaving her face.

 

“So, Laura.” She said in a husky voice, stopping in front of Laura’s face after two rounds, her hands ghosting over Laura’s arms “What it’s your thing?”

“What do you mean?” Laura said unsure.

“What do you like, what do you don’t like?” She was touching Laura’s arms hair, making them erect with static electricity, but never touching the skin.

“Hum…” Laura was blushing with the question. She was not sure what to say.

“I can give you some options.” Carmilla walked again, now stopping by Laura’s back “Do you like oral?” She said hovering on Laura’s nape, her voice was sending a warm breath against her skin.

“Yes, I love it.” Laura answered in a small cracking voice.

“Penetration.” Carmilla said in an ever lower voice, sending shivers to Laura’s spine.

“Yes..” Laura said almost faulting her voice. 

Carmilla chuckled and walked to face Laura again. “Let’s relax, first.” She placed her hands over Laura’s shoulder, motioning her to sit down on the armchair.

 

As Laura sat, Carmilla turned and headed to the stereo, taping in her phone to start the music. Beautiful Liar from Beyoncé begun to play. The sound was not too loud to bother the other rooms, but loud enough to change the atmosphere of their room.

 

Carmilla looked back at Laura with sassy eyes, moving her body with the music. She approached Laura, climbing on her chair, sitting on her lap, wrapping her legs around the chair, she whispered in Laura’s ear “I have only one rule: you can’t touch me.”

 

Laura felt her stomach twisting with the information, her hands clenching on the armrest. Just because she was said she could not touch Carmilla, her desire to touch her was getting stronger. And she hated that. But she also knew – that was a very Mircalla thing to do.

 

Carmilla climbed off the chair and back to her dance movements, removing her vest and throwing it to the other side of the room. Laura let out a chucked. Not in a million years she could have imagined Carmilla acting like that, so loosen and seductive. Not that she was not that in the bedroom, but acting like Mircalla, she was showing a side Laura never saw before.

 

Next, Carmilla took off her boots, she just sat on the bed and removed them while making eye contact with Laura. Feeling more light without the heavy boots, Carmilla walked back again, now she held Laura’s hands over the armrest, while she moved the rest of her body forming waves with her hips and breast, going back and forth from Laura’s face. She climbed on her lap again, but turning her back to face Laura, while she propped all of her weight over her hands, also holding tight at the armrest, she stretched her back over Laura, rubbing her ass over Laura’s hip.

 

Laura was forcing herself to be steady, closing her eyes, feeling her core to ache in desire to touch Carmilla. The friction of her ass was destroying all of her good will. The music ended but another begun, it was Sweet Dreams, also from Beyoncé. Laura could never remember that Carmilla was a fan of Beyoncé. Maybe because she wasn’t really.

 

She felt her body cold again without the presence of Carmilla above her. She opened them again, to find Carmilla sat on the bed, taking out her stocking and shorts, revealing a very thin and see through black lacy panties. She stood up and walked like a cat in Laura’s direction, taking her hand and making her stood up from the chair. Carmilla turned to face Laura’s back and unzipped her dress slowly. She walked to her front again, now pulling down the strap of the dress with one finger, and making it fall into the floor. Laura felt her mouth dry at the look Carmilla gave her, admiring her naked body. Laura was not wearing a bra or any underwear.

 

“You are bold, Laura” She whispered in her ear “I like that.” She ran a finger in Laura’s jaw, with a very dirty smiled on her own face. 

She tugged the hem of her black shirt, taking it off of her own body, revealing a bra that matched her panties. She touched Laura’s body with her own, making her boobs dancing over her girlfriend’s exposed breasts, lightly but enough to give Laura goosebumps on her entire torso. Carmilla went up and down on Laura’s body, them she turned to her back making the same movement, pressing extra hard with her butt over Laura’s hip again, until the music was over. Carmilla turned again to Laura taking her hand and leading her to the bed. _Finally_ , Laura thought to herself, before she took off her shoes.

 

Laura was laying on her back while Carmilla was hovering above her, a thigh press in the middle on Laura’s leg. She started to massage Laura’s boobs just rubbing the nipple with one hand while her mouth was sucking the other. Laura let out a moan and tilted her head back. She was already soaked, she didn’t need foreplays and teasing. But knowing Mircalla’s modus operandi, she kind of expected that. After switching to the other boob, Carmilla was downing Laura’s body, facing her wet folds. She grabbed her legs, spreading them widen. _Yes!_ Laura thought.

 

Carmilla filled her lungs with Laura’s scent, licking her folds up and down, giving a quick suck on her clit. She retrieved her face from Laura’s bottom, returning to hover over her face.

 

“You have an exquisite flavor, darling. I’ve never tasted or smelled a woman like you.” She said looking with dark eyes to Laura.

“T-thanks?” Laura said a bit frustrated. She didn’t want it to stop.

“Want to taste it?” Carmilla raised a brow and Laura was sure she was going to kiss her. She was waiting for a kiss from Carmilla, but got none so far. She just brushed her fingers on Laura’s folds, offering her digits for girlfriend to taste. Laura opened her mouth, holding Carmilla’s fingers inside of her. She sucked and licked her fingers, tasting indeed something different. She did not taste the same since the last time she tasted herself. It was sweeter than ever.

“I told you, no touching.” Carmilla alerted, pulling out Laura’s hand from her own.

She stood up and walked to the room’s closet, taking something from it. Laura visualized what seems to be a black silk rope. Carmilla climbed on the bed, taking Laura’s wrist and tied it loosely on the rope, she passed the rope around the bed board, crossing to the other side, then she tied the other hand on the remained rope, making Laura to keep her arms above her head on the bed. The rope would be only tightening if Laura pulled one or both of her hands. She ruffed at the new restriction but resigned anyway.

 

Carmilla was back straddling Laura and reaching for her breast again. Laura let out a frustrated groan. Carmilla raised her head at her “What’s is wrong?”

“I’m tired of the teasing.” She whined.

“So, what do you want?” Her hand reached Laura’s clit again and started to draw slow circles on it.

Laura got speechless again, she was aching for the touch. Then Carmilla removed her hand again.

“Don’t stop!” Laura demanded anger. Carmilla laughed.

“This angry face of yours is hilarious, Princess.”

“I don’t want any more teasing.” She complained again.

“What do you want?” Carmilla asked nicely. “Just tell me.”

“I want you to fuck me!” Laura yelled furious.

“Like this?” Carmilla introduced a finger inside Laura and started to thrust in and out in a fast pace.

“Yes!” Laura said melting under Carmilla’s motions instantly.

“Not so fast.” She said in Laura’s ear, removing her finger and getting out of the bed.

“No! No!” She protested, her hands pulling from the rope for the first time. “This is ridiculous.”

Carmilla took off a white box from the closet and place it over round table beside the ice bucket. “I just want to make it worth your while, my darling.”

“This is torture.” Laura said pulling her hands again.

“It will worth it, I guarantee you.” She took a piece from the box and turned to Laura. It was a strap-on. “Don’t you wanna play with some toys?” She suggested with a new smirk on her face.

“Well…” Laura widened her eyes looking for a rubber dildo for the very first time in person.

Carmilla climbed on the bed and placed her knees on each side of Laura’s hip. “I’m going to give you the best orgasm of your life.”

 

She took a better look of the piece. It was red with small black straps. Nothing intimidating at all. It didn’t look quite like a penis, what made the decision easer. She nodded to Carmilla, while her girlfriend was adjusting the strap on her hip.

 

“Have you used this before?” Laura asked with cautioned eyes to Carmilla.

“Of course, sweetie.” She chuckled “You have no idea.” She raised a brow “What about you?”

Laura shook her head “No. Never.”

Carmilla opened a large smile showing all of her teeth “You’re gonna love it.”

 

She rubbed Laura’s clit again, making Laura to close her eyes and let out a moan. With her other hand she introduced one finger in her and started to thrust it. Laura was meeting her thrusts when she introduced the second finger. She let go of her clit while she introduced the third finger, thrusting in and out. She could feel how Laura was close to come, so she retrieved all of the fingers and before Laura was protesting again, she introduced the dildo very slowly.

 

The anger features on Laura’s face was replaced for a surprised one. She let out a long breathe, her fingers grasping on the sheets, her eyes closed. “Oh fuck”.

 

Carmilla pulled it out and then pushed in again. Laura let out another moan, her hip still with the new and alien sensation. It was like she just discovered how her cervix was longer than she thought. Carmilla thrust again, and again, steady and slow. Laura was feeling her stomach getting hot, the waves of pleasure building inside of her.

 

“Faster” She demanded from Carmilla. But in returned she got even slower movements. “Are you kidding me?” She asked frustrated again.

Carmilla leaned on her giving a peck on her lips. Laura was flushing and furious again. “The more I prolong this part, the better your orgasm will be.”

“Fuck that! I just want to come!” Laura complained.

“I thought you wanted to have fun with me?” Carmilla said in an offended tone.

“I… I do.” Laura whined and reconsidered.

Carmilla returned to her previous position, and started ride Laura again. Slow and steady, rubbing her clit with her hand. Laura pulled her hands, the rope creating a mark on her writs. “I want to touch you” she said panting.

Carmilla just increased her motions, looking worried at Laura’s writs. Laura pulled again, her eyes pleading to Carmilla. “I just want to touch you.” She said shedding a tear.

 

Carmilla tried to ignore what was going on and rested her both hands on each side of Laura’s head, going faster on her movements. Laura’s eyes were watering and Carmilla stopped her hips and she removed the strap from Laura.

 

“Hey, Laura.” She said in a gentle voice, as Laura’s eyes was shedding more tears. “Laura, are you ok? Come on, love?” Laura started to sob, her eyes lost on the ceiling. “Damn it, it’s all my fault.” Carmilla muttered cursing.

Carmilla reached for Laura’s hands and untied the silk rope from both of them. She pulled her arms down and brushed them resting by Laura’s sides. Laura turned and wrapped her arms around Carmilla, letting out more crying sounds.

“Everything is OK, Cupcake, don’t cry.” She brushed Laura’s back while pressing her body against her in an attempt to give her more warmth.

“I just want my girlfriend back.” Laura finally said after a last noise sob.

“I’m here, Cupcake.”Carmilla said brushing Laura’s hair. “Everything is alright, my love.”

Laura raised her head from Carmilla’s shoulder and pulled her jaw to kiss Carmilla’s mouth. She was needed and hungry for her touch. Not Mircalla’s. Carmilla’s touch. Her hands reached for the strap and she pulled it, whispering in Carmilla’s ear “Just make me come.”

 

Carmilla kissed her again and rolled Laura back to the bed, reintroducing the dildo in her. She started to thrust, this time Laura was looking deep into her eyes, Carmilla kissed Laura gently, her hand caressing her cheeks. Laura’s hands were on her hip, holding like her life depended on it. She increased her movements, going in a pace she knew Laura loved. She was felling the signs of Laura coming.

 

“I think I’m going to pee” Laura said in a desperate tone.

“You’re not going to pee, sweetheart.” Carmilla said in her ear “Just let it go, don’t hold anything, trust me.” And with that affirmation Laura felt herself free, the waves building inside of her growing in a insane velocity.

 

Carmilla kissed her lips again and looked in her eyes “I love you.” She said as Laura was coming hard under her. She felt the waves making Laura’s body trembling and a squirting came from her legs. Laura let out a loud and long scream, that turned to a sequence of moans, loud as the first one. Carmilla held her firmly slowing her movements. Laura finally was still again, her eyes closed as she breathed deeply to calm her body. Carmilla dropped her back by Laura’s side, taking some deep breaths to calm herself too.

 

While Laura was recovering of what Carmilla only assumed was a hell of an orgasm, she stood up removing the strap-on and placing it back in the box. She took the rope and also put it back to the box, securing it inside of the closet. She got rid of her bra and panties, returning to bed, snaking under the covers. She pulled them from under Laura, covering her girlfriend with them.

“What just happened?” Laura asked still dizzy. Carmilla was running her hand on Laura’s hair.

“I think you had multiple orgasms, Cupcake.” Carmilla said in a gentle tone.

“Wow!” Laura turned her face to Carmilla, her eyes worried “Did I pee?”

“No.” Carmilla chucked “That was a squirt. You ejaculated. Congratulations, many women don’t have the opportunity to experience that in their lives.

Laura frowned “What?” she looked at covers sitting up, she found a wet stain over the duvet “Oh, no…”

“Relax.” Carmilla pulled her back to bed. “This is good. I knew you would have the best orgasm of your life.”

“At what price.” 

“So it was the best orgasm of your life!” She said with a smirk.

“Yes, it was!” She threw a pillow over Carmilla’s face “But you were such a jerk.”

“Hey!” Carmilla protested “It was not me! It was Mircalla! You knew she would do that. Or even worst!”

“I know…” Laura pulled the pillow over her head. “I’m so stupid naïve.”

“No, you’re not.” Carmilla pulled the pillow out from Laura’s face, she was pouting “I’m sorry, but it was your fantasy. You didn’t know if it was going to be good or bad. Not all fantasies are good, it’s just the way it is.” She gave a peck on Laura’s lips.

“You don’t have to apologize. I asked for it.”

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t know how much I could push it. I never meant to hurt you, Laura.”

“What if were you?” She turned to Carmilla “What if my one night stand was with you? What would you do?”

Carmilla shrugged “Nothing different of what I do with you. Except, I probably would not say I loved you.”

“Really? Even with other girls you did the same?”

“That’s a whole different thing.” Carmilla pulled Laura to her, pressing their bodies together. “It’s something you will never know.”

“After today, I don’t think I really want to know.”

“Didn’t you like your birthday present?” Carmilla kissed Laura’s eyes and the tip of her nose.

“I did and I didn’t.” She moved her hand to Carmilla’s back, tracing light patterns.

“Hum… well tomorrow we have another thing to celebrate.” Carmilla kissed her forehead and both cheeks.

“What?”

“Our one month anniversary.” Carmilla gave her a peck “I’m counting from the first time we had sex, not the girlfriends deal.” 

Laura smiled “Right. Do we have more than one night on this room?”

“Oh yeah.” Carmilla pulled her for another peck. “We have much more to celebrate and to enjoy.” She kissed Laura again, fully this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Celebrations and smuts are not over. Stay tuned!  
> You can also find me in here: theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	17. Heart of Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla are celebrating their one month anniversary with pillow fights and love confessions, among other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super early update (which means a lot of typos, I'm sorry).  
> The part 2 of this mini honey moon is here. There is a little bit of everything. Enjoy!

**Chapter 17 – Heart of Gold**

 

In the next morning on their executive suite, Laura woke up with Carmilla wrapped around her. She was laid on her side, with Carmilla attached to her back. She let out a long breath, thinking about the events of the last night. She liked the whole seduction thing, but hated all the teasing. Her thoughts about Mircalla changed drastically. Laura didn’t keep her in a pedestal anymore. Maybe she worked only on her fantasies, but not in real life. In real life she was much happier with Carmilla. She could not believe how she managed to find a woman like her. Or how a woman like Carmilla would fall in love with her.

 

She had spent months denying her feelings for Carmilla, but after that night when went physical, things got a lot blurrier. So much, that was hard to really understand what she was feeling. And even more hard to understand that Carmilla was feeling the same. And even after all the talking and reassuring, she caught herself doubting the reality she was living in. And sometimes she felt like it was just a dream. After the nightmare caused by her break up with Danny, it seem impossible for her to feel happy again. Alone with her tiny human. And not only she was able to feel happy, but to feel the happiest she has ever been.

 

And every day Carmilla showed her how much she cared. Every day she made Laura’s fears to tumbling down. She even got her father blessing in a record time. None of her previous girlfriends got in her father good graces so fast like Carmilla. Laura was not sure why, but she imagined it had something to do with Carmilla’s up front personality. Her father had spent most of his life dealing with liars and people trying too hard to be something they were not. But that was never the case with Carmilla.

 

“Are you awake, Cupcake?” Carmilla mumbled behind her, taking her out from her thoughts.

“Yes,” Laura pulled one of the Carmilla’s hands and gave it a kiss. Carmilla used her other hand to rub Laura’s belly. The act was becoming natural for her. “How did you know?”

“Your breathe changed.”

Laura hummed in response. Carmilla laid some kisses on her nape and rested her forehead on Laura’s head. She inhaled the scent of her shampoo.

“When it is your next ultrasound?”

“Next week.”

“Can we know the baby sex yet? I’m kind of tired of this limbo. I want to know if we are having a boy or a girl.”

Laura felt her heart to skip some beats with Carmilla saying “we”. She never referred at the baby as her own. Never.

“Probably yes, but…”

“But…?”

“I don’t want to know yet.”

“You don’t?” Carmilla said with a very disappointment voice.

“I want the surprise. And it really matters if it is a boy or girl? Maybe they will be none, like Laf.”

“It’s doesn’t matter, but I want to know.” Carmilla let out a long breath. “And I never thought you of all people would like to wait.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you are very curious, Cupcake.”

“Well, now you’re the curious one.” She threw a pillow on Carmilla’s face.

Carmilla grabbed the pillow and threw it back on Laura. Laura rolled to her back taking the pillow again hitting Carmilla’s torso twice before she crawled to the bottom of the bed carrying 2 pillows.

 

“That’s so unfair!” Carmilla said frustrated, taking a pillow and hitting Laura’s butt while she was escaping.

Laura turned, still crawling and faced Carmilla, pillow in hands “Why it’s unfair?” She threw one pillow on Carmilla’s direction while she grabbed the second and advanced to where Carmilla was hitting her head now. Carmilla was distracted by the first pillow and was caught in surprise by Laura.

“You know I won’t hit any hard.” Carmilla said using her hands to block the second and third attack from Laura.

“I’m not made of glass, you can hit me!” Laura said laughing at her own prowess.

 

She was getting too close of Carmilla, and she was not expecting for Carmilla to grab her pillow and take it off from her hands. Carmilla gave her a smirk. Laura let out a squeal and leaned her back behind in an attempt to avoid the attack from Carmilla. Carmilla threw the pillow on the floor and advanced on Laura, pinning her hands on the mattress. Her head went straight to Laura’s belly and blew raspberries, she knew it was Laura’s weakness.

 

“No, no, no! That’s not part of pillow fight!” Laura pleaded in a mix of excitement and fear.

Carmilla released Laura’s hands to attack her flanks, tickling every sensitive part of Laura’s body. Laura laughed and screamed, trying to move Carmilla’s hand from her. It was not easy. Laura was able to control herself a bit and she turned rolling Carmilla back’s to the bed, now she was the one straddling Carmilla.

 

“You’re gonna prove of your own medicine” She said before she was attacking Carmilla the same way, blowing on her belly.

“Oh fuck, that’s not fair!” Carmilla let out while she was also squealing and laughing, not able to fight back.

“Don’t be a whiner!” Laura said ceasing the blows and pinning Carmilla’s hands over the mattress, straddling her. She knew Carmilla let her guard down on purpose.

 

They looked at each other panting from all of the fuss. Laura smiled to Carmilla finally taking in the situation before her. They were both very naked over the bed. But the moment was cut short with the noise of a stomach growling.

 

“Someone is hungry.” Laura said grinning. She released Carmilla’s hands and sat back on the bed. “Breakfast?”

Carmilla nodded embarrassed. 

Laura looked at her own body a gestured with her hands “What I’m going to wear now?”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows and climbed out of bed, going to the closet. She pulled out a duffel bag and dropped it on the bed, opening the zipper and taking out some clothes. “I thought about it, Cupcake.”

Laura made an impress look “You’re my hero!” She grabbed the bag squealing and gave Carmilla’s cheek a kiss before was digging for her clothes.

 

**+++**

 

They ate breakfast by hotel pool and Carmilla took 2 cans of an energy drink along with her pancakes and bacon.

“Isn’t this too much, Carmilla?” Laura asked pointing to the cans.

“I’ll be fine.” She made a hand gesture like that was nothing to worry about “I just don’t want to feel sleepy while we are together.”

Laura wanted to protest, but she also didn’t want to ruin the day. So she just changed the subjective “One month, huh?”

Carmilla smiled “Yeah.” She took Laura’s hand and rested with her over the table “Sometimes I just can’t believe.”

Laura chuckled “You can’t believe? _I_ can’t believe!”

“That you fell for a loser like me?” Carmilla said in mocking tone.

“Don’t say that!” Laura pusher her eyebrows together “You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, Carm.”

“Yeah, right.” Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“No, it’s true! I could never write the way you do. Or understand half of the philosophy classes I took in Silas.”

“That’s not really means I’m smart-“

“And you are caring, and always gentle with me.” Laura smiled squeezing Carmilla’s hand. “You make me laugh, and give me everything I want, even if I don’t deserve, cause I know how much of a pain in the ass I am most of the time.”

Carmilla nodded, her eyes watering “Yes, you are.” She laughed and Laura made a huge pout.

“Hey! You are supposed to say nice things about me!” Laura said with a cute voice.

“I’m not very good with words.” Carmilla shrugged, shedding a tear “All I know is that you’re my life, Laura. And I love everything about you, even the annoying parts.” She chucked. “But mostly the good parts.”

“Well, you just said it.” Laura was feeling her eyes prickling with tears too.

“Not what I really wanted.” She shrugged sadly. “But I promise you now, that I’ll do better.”

“You don’t have to promise me anything.” Laura extended her other hand and touched Carmilla’s cheek. “You already gave me everything.”

Carmilla leaned her head and kissed Laura tenderly, showing in the kiss how much she loved her. They both let out the tears on their eyes. They broke the kiss, resting their foreheads on each other. Carmilla placed her free hand over Laura’s belly, patting it with care.

“I know this is not possible, but I wish I was the one who got you pregnant.” She opened her eyes “or at least had been there when you were choosing the donor and making plans for the future.”

Laura let out a chucked, opening her eyes to look at Carmilla “Me too.” She sighed “But, you’re nothing less than their mother too, you know that, right?”

Carmilla smiled, hearing the word mother been referred to her for the first time. “Right.” She said nodding and pulling Laura for another kiss.

 

**+++**

 

After going back to their room to change their clothes for a pair of bikinis, Laura and Carmilla were swimming on hotel large pool. After silly games and a competition to see who was faster on water (Laura won), Carmilla was just floating on the water while Laura was lying down on one of the pool’s chair. It was hot in San Diego, right in the middle of the July summer. Carmilla eyed for Laura on the chair and noticed the pale skin under the cruel sun.

 

“Hey Cupcake, have you got some sunblock?” Carmilla asked loud enough for Laura to hear.

Laura raised her brows, but kept her eyes closed “No.” she said in a guilty tone.

Carmilla shook her head and dived in the water, until she reached the edge of the pool. “You can’t take this hell of sunlight on your skin like that” She said in a harsh tone.

“Really, dad? Tell me something I don’t know.” Laura responded irritated at Carmilla’s tone.

Carmilla was opening Laura’s makeup bag and grabbing the sunblock lotion “Sorry, but…” She approached Laura, dripping water on her way. “You know this is dangerous, even _I_ am using sunblock.”

“Cause you are pale like a vampire” Laura chucked looking at Carmilla.

Carmilla sprinkled some of her water on Laura, making her girlfriend to protest with the thermal shock. 

“Carmilla Karnstein, I’m going to kill you!” She sat up looking at her wet leg, brushing the water from it.

“But first, you are getting this lotion.” Carmilla pulled the other chair to stay very closed to Laura sitting on it and pouring some lotion on her hand. “Turn your back to me.”

Laura looked at her like a tiny ball of rage she that was “Fine!” she turned her back to Carmilla “But as soon as you’re done, I so going to get my revenge!”

Carmilla touched Laura’s back with a cold portion of lotion, making her shiver “Revenge is such a cold feeling, Creampuff.” She said in Laura’s ear. “Colder than my hands.”

 

She was spreading the lotion on Laura’s back, making her girlfriend let out some humming sounds. She poured more lotion on her hands and placed them on Laura’s shoulders, sliding to her arms. Another amount was applied on her neck and belly. Carmilla was rubbing her gently and slowly. Laura was trying to think about something else that was not the fact that her hot girlfriend’s hands was running all over her body.

 

“Turn again” Carmilla said gently on her ear.

 

Laura turned and Carmilla found a very different look of what she saw just a moment back. Laura was licking her lips, eyes full of lust. Carmilla automatic smirked to her, taking more lotion to apply on Laura.

 

She spread the lotion on Laura’s arms and then on the parts of her belly she missed. Laura was taking deep breaths, still thinking about what she should not think. Carmilla poured another amount to apply on her chest, taking her time to reach of the narrow curves on Laura’s cleavage. Laura muffled a moan.

 

“Damn, Carmilla. We are on public.” Laura muttered.

“You’re one to talk” Carmilla teased “I’m just applying sunblock lotion on my girlfriend.”

 

She reached for Laura’s face, gingerly spreading the lotion on Laura’s cheeks and forehead. Laura closed her eyes, feeling a little more relaxed, forming a timid smile with her lips. Carmilla applied the lotion on the rest of her face, giving a gentle peck on Laura’s lips at the end.

 

Laura sighed and opened her eyes slowly, only to shut them again with the alarming sensation of Carmilla’s hands on her thighs.

 

“Oh, fuck” she muttered under her breath while Carmilla’s hands made a turn to her feet, pulling them to rest on her legs, where she applied more lotion.

 

Laura opened her eyes and saw Carmilla paying a lot of attention on her feet, brushing every toe and every curve. Carmilla sat on the edge of her chair, spreading Laura’s legs opened around her. Laura looked alarmed to her surroundings, noticing just a few people on the pool area. But none of them were paying attention on what’s was happening with her and Carmilla. Her attention was back on Carmilla when she felt her hand running on her inner thighs. In that moment she knew she was a lost cause to her sex cravings.

 

Carmilla met her eyes and in that moment she knew what Laura wanted and needed. She put the lotion back on the bag. “I’m done.” She said in a low tone. “Where is your revenge?” She raised one eyebrow.

 

Laura stood up and grabbed Carmilla’s hand, making her follow her. She walked past the pool, heading to a small gate that leaded to the beach. They walked through the sand and then to the water. Laura was taking the lead, only stopping when the water was reaching her waist. She turned to Carmilla gave her a very hotter and wet kiss. Carmilla’s hands was tugging on Laura’s panties, but Laura pulled her hand out, walking deeper in the sea.

 

She took a look at their surroundings, not seeing a single person on the water closed to them. She kissed Carmilla again, sneaking her hand inside of Carmilla’s panties, right where she wanted. She brushed her clit, feeling how hard it was already. Carmilla was moaning and panting in no time, holding firmly on Laura’s shoulder to keep her on her feet. Laura worked her hand on Carmilla’s while she kissed her neck, sucking on her pulse point. Laura nipped and sucked Carmilla’s neck and shoulder, until she was feeling Carmilla shaking, her walls clenching against her fingers.

 

Laura kissed her mouth one last time, brushing her tongue on Carmilla’s lips, feeling her coming undone with another moan. Laura kept holding Carmilla, until she was breathing normally again. She noticed that she was little pale, more than the usual.

 

“Are you OK, Carm?” She was brushing Carmilla’s hair, feeling the braid undoing under her fingers.

“Yes, of course.” Even though her voice was reassuring, her expression was blank.

Laura walked them back to the sand, wrapping her arms around Carmilla’s waist. They walked to lobby, leaving water and sand in their way.

“Your forgot your bag by the pool” Carmilla said in a weak voice while they waited for the elevator.

“I’ll take it later.” Laura rushed them to the elevator, using the card linked in Carmilla’s panties.

When they finally reached the room, Laura sat Carmilla on the bed. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.” Carmilla said not very convincing “I think I just need some sleep.”

She was getting even more pale, her eyes got shut and her limbs collapsed with her whole body over the bed.

“Carm!” Laura was trying to awake her, rocking Carmilla’s shoulders “Carm! Talk to me!”

She got desperate at every second Carmilla was just that still. “Carmilla! Come, on!”

 

She remembered her first aid classes she took when she was a teacher at Silas High. She took deep breaths trying to remain calm. She checked for Carmilla breathing, leaning her ear on her nose and mouth. Carmilla was breathing. Good. She took her wrist and felt the pulse, it was strangely too fast. She placed her ear over Carmilla’s chest to check it again. And she heard her heart beating like crazy. What the hell was going on?

 

Laura grabbed the hotel phone and called for the reception. After hearing the voice of the people on the other side she rushed to talk. “I need an ambulance in here, my girlfriend just fainted.”

She could not remember what the person said in the other end, she knew she needed to wait. She grabbed a towel and brushed Carmilla’s body, trying to make her dry. Carmilla was not cold, so she just gave up on the idea to cover her. She listened to her heart again, it was still beating frantically. Her vision started to blur with the tears forming on her eyes.

 

“Don’t die on me, Carmilla. I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry.” She brushed Carmilla’s head over her lap. “You are my life too.” The tears were coming strongly, falling from Laura to Carmilla.

The door of the room was open. A pair of paramedics were coming with someone from the hotel.

“What happened?” One of them asked while examination Carmilla.

“I don’t know.” Laura was wiping the tears from her face “We were on the beach and she was getting pale, so we came back to the room. She said she was fine, but she was getting worst, and then she just past out on the bed.”

“She is having tachycardia” He paramedic said listening to her heart. “Let’s take her.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura was pacing around the waiting room of the hospital. She wanted to go in the ambulance with Carmilla, but the hotel receptionist held her in the room for Laura to get a shower and dress before they could take her to the hospital. She was really nervous waiting for some news. How her day started so promising and ended in such tragic way? Life was really too good to be true.

 

She had called to Perry to tell her about what happened. Perry was dealing with a wedding emergency and sent Lafontaine to stay with Laura. They arrived bringing some comfort and food for her.

 

“I don’t want to eat, Laf. But thanks.” Laura said finally sitting on one chair.

“Perry said if you don’t eat at least the apple, she will stop to bake cookies for a month.”

“Fine.” Laura took the apple and bit it. “I’m not really hungry.”

“But you know why you have to eat, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course.”

 

After another 30 minutes a doctor was in the waiting room to give Laura some news.

 

“Hello, I’m Dr. Greene. Your wife is stable now, Mrs. Hollis.” The doctor said with a confident smile. “We gave her a special medication to make her heart beat normally again and she responded just fine. You can see her now.”

Laura nodded to the doctor, while Lafontaine looked at them with widen eyes. “Thank you, doctor.” She turned to Lafontaine.

“Only family members.” The doctor said to Lafontaine, who was almost following Laura.

“Sure.” They said nodding.

 

Laura followed the doctor through the hospital halls, until he leaded Laura to a room. She saw Carmilla laid on the bed. She was still a bit pale, but with a peaceful expression on her face. Laura held her hand, as soon she reached Carmilla, and the tears was back on her eyes.

 

“How are you feeling, Carm?” 

“I’m fine, Cupcake.” Carmilla extended her other hand to Laura to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“I thought you were dead.” Laura said in a cracking voice. “And I said that was going to kill you, because I was really mad, I was so stupid.”

“It’s not your fault.” Carmilla gave her a gentle smile, kissing her hand. “Well, maybe a little, but I’m very much alive.”

The doctor cleaned his throat gaining Laura’s and Carmilla’s attention “So, I think you can go back home in a couple of hours, Mrs. Karnstein. You’re totally prohibited to have anything that contains caffeine.”

Carmilla nodded with a guilty face.

“Why she was having tachycardia, doctor?”

“Well, it was probably a combination of a lot of factors, but mainly the high consume of energetic drinks.” He adjusted the glasses on his face, and kept a serious face. “That and the activity you were doing on the beach helped to make her heart to beat fast like that.”

Laura felt her face burning with how violent the blush came. Carmilla was brushing Laura’s hand in an attempt to soothe her.

“You need to rest, Mrs. Karnstein. You have to sleep the minimum of 6 hours per day, but I strongly recommended at least 8 hours.” The doctor said in a firm tone, looking then to Laura.

“Mrs. Hollis, make sure your wife will follow my recommendations, I don’t want to see you here again because of that, understood?”

Laura nodded “You have my word, Dr. Greene.”

“And” He looked to Carmilla “You need stay in home rest for 2 weeks. No caffeine and stress, no death threats and…” She looked to both of them “No sexual activities.”

“That will be harsh.” Carmilla said with a sassy smiled to Laura. “Have you seen my… wife, doctor? She is something, huh?”

The doctor chuckled at the worried and embarrassed look of Laura “Behave, kids” He said before he left.

“You want to kill me with embarrassment, Carmilla?” Laura said covering her face still red.

“Well, since I got I wife out of it, I don’t care.” She shrugged.

“Oh, about that…” Laura removed her hands from her face “I was on the reception desk and the lady just assumed we were married, probably because of my belly, people are starting to notice it, and she needed to fill your application and I panicked-“

“I don’t mind, my love.” Carmilla held her hand again “I kind of like the sound of it.”

“Really?” Laura said still unsure. “I thought you would be mad.”

Carmilla smiled warmly “Why would I be mad?”

“I don’t know.” Laura shrugged and sighed “When people assumed Danny and I was married she always got so panicked.”

“Luckily, I’m not Danny.” Carmilla squeezed her hand. “Relax. It’s not a problem at all.”

“Well…” Laura made a concerned face again.

“What?”

“They registered you as my wife and now you are using my insurance too.”

Carmilla pushed her eyebrows together. “How big of a problem is that?”

“Well, do you have insurance?”

“No.”

“And we are not really married…damn it!” Laura was getting nervous again, she released Carmilla’s hand and covered her face.

“What?” 

“I think we have committed insurance fraud.” Laura said taking her hand from her face.

“Oh.” Was all Carmilla could manage to say.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made some corrections on the last chapter, with the help of some awesome readers. Thank you a lot, and keep them coming, please!
> 
> You can also find me in here: theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	18. In Sickness and in Health

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the heart incident, Laura tried to deal with the consequences of her act. Carmilla just want to do the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter can give you some cavities, be advised.

**Chapter 18 – In Sickness and in Health**

 

It was not hard for Laura to avoid a more intimate contact with Carmilla. When they arrived at their apartment, Carmilla was still weak and pale. Laura took her to bed with the help of Lafontaine. She was glad Carmilla survived what she could only call as the biggest scare of her life. She got a list from her doctor with all the orientation of Carmilla’s dos and don’ts, and all of the food recommended. After Carmilla was falling asleep, Laura went to the grocery store and followed through the list for some health and caffeine free meals. They both needed to eat better.

 

The other thing that was worrying her, was the insurance problem. She called Edgar, her company lawyer, and told him all about the case. He promised to take care of that, telling Laura that it was not so serious as she thought it would be.

 

Back in home, Carmilla was still sleeping. Laura smiled seen a very peaceful expression on her face. She took Carmilla’s phone and called her boss, telling him about Carmilla’s incident and her need of the 2 weeks rest. The man was concerned about Carmilla, but much more worried about the troubled to find a replacement for her.

 

Later, she helped Carmilla to take a bath at the tub, proud of herself for not look at her girlfriend like a piece of meat. Carmilla took advantage of the opportunity to tease Laura and her well behavior.

“Wow, Cupcake, who’d know you could behave so well around your naked girlfriend?” Carmilla said in her mocking voice while Laura was outside the tub, brushing her back.

“You talk like I’m some sort of nymphomaniac.” She huffed.

“You know that I’m no saint, but you have something extra going on there. Are you ok?”

“Yes I’m fine. You are the one that need attention, not me.”

Carmilla pulled Laura’s free hand and kissed it. “Thank you.”

 

Laura took a deep breath and inclined her head, giving a gentle kiss on Carmilla’s lips. It was the first time she was kissing her since the incident. Carmilla kissed her back, shedding a tear she didn’t know it was there in her eyes.

“Don’t you ever do that again with me.” Laura said pulling from the kiss and resting her forehead on Carmilla.

“I promise.” Carmilla said in soft tone. “No more energy drinks.” She sighed. “…and sex on the beach.”

“I’m sorry.” Laura said in a guilt tone.

Carmilla chuckled. “I kind of like it. No the dizziness and crazy heart part, but it was really good before that. You were on fire, and I love that.”

Laura pulled away from Carmilla, brushing her back again “Alright, I’m doing so well, let’s just keep it that way, ok?” She said in a high pitchy tone.

“Ok.” Carmilla said with a small laugh.

At night, Laura insisted on been the big spoon while cuddling Carmilla. Her girlfriend didn’t mind at all.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was having a small panic attack at her lawyer office. Well, her company lawyer, anyway. He called her in that morning, 2 days after the incident, with the results of her consultation.

“Well, Laura, I got to say, your case is kind of peculiar.” He said after ruffling through some papers.

“Why you say that?” Laura could not avoid the concerned tone.

“Just let me explain the implications of what you did. Yes, it’s fraud, but you can and you will claim you had a temporary lack of judgment due to the stressful moment.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll do that right away, but I know what the result will be: you’re gonna have to pay for the full bill.”

“Well, as long as I’m away from jail.”

“We will do the best to avoid that, but there is a small possibility, I should warn you.”

“Really?” She widened her eyes.

“It’s very unlikely, the hospital just want the bill paid. So let’s focus on that.”

“Ok.” Laura nodded trying her best to keep her emotions under control.

 

Laura was going to her work more worried than she thought it was possible. But she also thought about how lucky she was that Carmilla was fine. Nothing can beat death. Well, maybe disappearing… but it was not the case. So she tried her best to just worry about Carmilla recovery. Arriving at the office, her phone ringed. The ID was unknown.

“Hello?” 

“It this Laura Hollis?” A man’s voice asked on the other side.

“Yes.” She dropped her purse over her desk. “Who is this?”

“I’m Carl Davis, I’m a reporter from The Silas Tribune. Can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Yes.” Laura said a little unsure, sitting on her chair.

“I got a tip about an incident in the San Diego Marriott. Some guest had a heart attack in the hotel premises, and your name was connected to that incident.”

“Hey, wow!” Laura gesture with her free hand “What do you want, Mr Davis?”

“I just want to hear your side on this story, Ms Hollis. I have a suspicion that the hotel is neglecting their health code, this is not the first time something like that happened in that place.”

“Mr Davis, I have no comments about anything.”

“But, this is important-“

“Have a nice day!” Laura turned off the call. What the hell was that?

 

**+++**

 

Laura returned home with more things to bug her. On top of the risk to be arrested, she now had a nosy reporter digging on Carmilla’s heart problem, threatening to expose her story. She could imagine the headlines about a heart attack after a torrid love making on the beach. Why she had the stupid idea to have sex in a public place? Why she was getting so much trouble about her fantasies? It was some kind of karma because of her complains about Danny? Because she was sure that if she was having just lame ordinary sex, none of that would ever happen.

 

In the next day, she got a call from her lawyer.

“They accept your claim, you can pay the bill with no problem.” Edgar said the good news.

“Oh, thank you very much Edgar. How much is it?”

“50 thousand dollars.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, I know. Hospitals are expensive, but in your girlfriend’s case the problem was the medication they gave her to stabilize her heart. It was the most expensive item on the bill.”

Laura was imagining all the money for the baby leaving her bank account. That could not happen. “Edgar, please, tell me there is something else we can do? Are you sure my insurance can’t pay at least a part of it? We live together, we are going to have a child, we are basically married.”

“I don’t think so, Laura. But, since you are a same sex couple, maybe I can find some loophole on the legislation.” Edgar said with a hopeful tone.

“Please, Edgar, you are going to save my life.”

“Ok Laura. I’ll see what I can do and I’ll call you back.”

 

**+++**

 

Three days after the heart scare, Carmilla was feeling super bored. She watched a lot of TV, read tones of books, even cooked a meal for her in the evening. She was feeling so much better, like nothing bad had happening to her. Laura, who had Carmilla laid on her lap, noticed her girlfriend demeanor and decided to do something different. 

“Let’s play some board game, what do you think?” Laura suggested.

“That’s so lame.” Carmilla said keeping her eyes on the TV.

Laura’s eyes fell to Carmilla’s waist, she noticed a part of her belly muscles moving with Carmilla’s breathing. “We need some distraction.” She said feeling a certain part of her body sending suggestive and inappropriate thoughts to her mind.

Carmilla sighed “Ok. What do you have?” 

Laura thought about her collection, it’s been a while since the last time she played with one of them.“Life?”

“Boring.”

“Uno?”

“Just the two of us? Boring.”

“Risk?”

Carmilla turned to look at her. “I don’t know that, but the name sounds promising.”

“Be right back!” Laura said craning up gently Carmilla’s head from her lap.

 

After a few minutes, Laura returned with the box of the game and placed it on the coffee table, sitting in front of the TV. She opened the box and took off the map board and the dices. Carmilla turned the TV off, and sat on the other side of the table, crossing her legs over each other.

“We can choose your army.” Laura gestured to the amount of plastic soldiers and tanks to Carmilla.

“The black one.” Carmilla said without thinking.

“So unexpected.” Laura mumbled taking the pieces to Carmilla.

Carmilla looked at her with narrow eyes. “Ok, I changed my mind. I want the red one.”

“The red is mine.” Laura kept taking the black pieces to Carmilla.

“You said I could choose.”

Laura snapped “And you did! You’re black, I’m red.”

“Fine.” Carmilla huffed, she knew Laura was already in her very competitive mood. “And how this works? We are going to throw our soldiers against each other?”

“Not literally. First we need our objective cards, then we split territories, and then we throw the dices and see who is out.”

“We decided it with dices?” Carmilla snorted. “This is lame too.”

“Come on! You haven’t even started it yet and you are already complaining?”

“When you said Risk, I thought this would be more excited and dangerous. Not nerdy and boring.”

Laura tilted her head to side, giving a smug smile to Carmilla “I think you are just afraid of me kicking your ass in a game. Again.”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows making a hand gesture like Laura “You know what? I’m going to kick your ass on this one.”

“Bring it on!” Laura dared Carmilla with more hand gestures pointing to herself.

 

Laura explained to Carmilla the rest of the game rules. Carmilla heard everything and took her objective card, saying she should destroy the army of the player on her right side. The only player was Laura, so that was her goal. She used all of her army in every attack, making Laura furious. Luckily she was reducing Laura’s army at every turn.

“You are cheating.” Laura mumbled.

“I’m just rolling dices, how could I cheat?” Carmilla said in a very innocent tone.

“You’re not rolling them right! And you don’t have to use all of your soldiers to make the attack.” Laura whined.

“But I can use them, right?”

“You can, but you also can lose more too.” Laura gestured to the middle of the map, where Carmilla had dozens of soldiers and tanks.

She shrugged “I’m not losing, so…”

“Cause you are cheating.” She crossed her eyes with a poignant look.

Carmilla shook her head and held the dices between her two hands, creating a hollow space to let the dices loosen. She shook her hands with more force “It’s this enough ‘rolling’ for you?”

Laura just made a frown while Carmilla threw the dices on the table. “Ha! Two more red soldiers are down.” Carmilla celebrated.

“How can you do this? This is mathematically impossible!” Laura as gesturing to the dices again. She took one by one and took a better look at them.

“You know, you were right,” Carmilla smirked shoving Laura’s soldier back to the box “This game is really fun. I give you that.”

“You are unbelievable, Carmilla. I know you are cheating.” Laura said with conviction, returning the dices back to table.

“Prove it!” Carmilla dared her.

Laura huffed and they played another round. Laura took one soldier from Carmilla and Carmilla got 2 more from Laura.

“Let me see your hands!” Laura said inclining herself on the table between them, pulling Carmilla’s hands before she reached for the dices.

“There is nothing in my hands” Carmilla in an amused tone.

Laura turned Carmilla’s hands looking at every inch of skin. “I know you are hiding something!”

“You are really a bad loser, Cupcake.” 

Laura tugged Carmilla’s shirt hem, pulling them up “I’m not a bad loser, you can’t possibly be this lucky!”

“Hey this is not in the game rules” Carmilla eyes were widening with Laura’s warm hands touching her.

“You’re not playing by the rules!” Laura accused with rage eyes, her hands searching for something in Carmilla’s waist.

“I’m very lucky Lady, that’s all” Carmilla said in a seductive tone smiling to Laura.

 

Suddenly Laura was very aware of the proximity with Carmilla. She didn’t know if was the rage, Carmilla’s warm body against her hands or just that stupid smile, but all she knew was that she needed to wipe it from Carmilla’s face. So she pulled Carmilla’s shirt and crashed her mouth against her girlfriend’s, making a mess on the board, throwing everything on the floor. When Laura was making sense of her acts, she had her back against the TV set, butt sat on the floor and Carmilla over her lap, hands tugging her nape and hair. Their tongues battling for control.

 

She moaned, trying to move away Carmilla from her body. But that was so good, just so good. She missed that so much. And then she remembered what happened, just 3 days ago, Carmilla pale and livid on the hotel bed. That thought always would scare her.

“Carmilla..” She said gasping for air. “Stop.” Carmilla kept her hands firmly on her. Laura was getting desperate, the image of Carmilla never leaving her mind.

With a rough push, Laura shoved Carmilla away from her, making her girlfriend’s back hit the coffee table.

“Oh my god! Carmilla I’m so sorry.” Laura was over Carmilla again, rubbing her hands against Carmilla’s back, helping her to sit again.

Carmilla was arching with the pain, eyes closed. “It’s nothing.” She said with pain in her voice.

“Of course it’s not nothing.” Laura was desperate again. “Let me see it.” She pulled up Carmilla’s t-shirt and saw a red line mark on the middle of her back.

“It’s not that bad.” Carmilla said trying to disguise the pain in her voice. “I’ll be fine.”

“Oh crap! I hurt you! Carmilla I’m so sorry!” Laura held Carmilla’s head on her shoulder, still brushing the red mark on her back.

After a few minutes just hugging Carmilla, Laura loosed her grip “Do you want to go the hospital?” 

Carmilla raised her head, with a peaceful expression on her face “I’m fine, this was nothing, I told you.”

“I hurt you again.” Laura started to shed tears now she was facing Carmilla.

“It was my own fault.” Carmilla shrugged “You told me to stop.”

“I did, but… I shouldn’t be this violent, I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.” Carmilla brushed her face, wiping some of the tears “And don’t cry anymore, please. I hate to see you crying. I’m fine.” Carmilla said in a gentle tone.

“I’ll try.” Laura’s voice was cracking. Carmilla kissed her cheeks and smiled.

“You said we can’t have a relationship based on sex. You were right. We need to focus on some other parts.”

“Right.” Laura nodded. “Can I do something for your injure? You can’t just let it like that.”

“There is an ointment for this kind of injurie in the bathroom cabinet.”

“I’ll be right back.” Laura sniffed and kissed Carmilla forehead, before she released her and stood up.

 

Laura’s phone rang and she took it from her shorts pocket while she was heading to the bathroom. She looked at the ID.

“Hey, Edgar, tell me you have good news” Laura was trying her best to sound upbeat.

“I do indeed, Laura. I did find your loophole.”

Laura reached the cabinet “Really?!”

“Yes, the insurance company will pay all the hospital costs if we apply for a special extension of your contract.”

Laura found the medicine for Carmilla’s back. “And what that means?”

“Since you and girlfriend are a same sex couple, there are some exceptions due the differences of legislation about equality in the country, so we can make them pay for everything, but there is a counterpart from your side.”

Laura was back to the living room where Carmilla was taking the pieces of the game from the floor and putting them back on the box. “What kind of counterpart?”

“Well, it will have some costs, but much less considering the 50 thousand you own to the hospital.” 

Laura gestured for Carmilla to sit on the couch armrest, removing her t-shirt to apply the medicine. Laura placed her phone by Carmilla’s side changing the conversation to the phone’s speaker. “You and girlfriend” Edgar said while Laura started to spread the ointment “have to get married, Laura.”

“What?” Laura said reaching for her phone, but Carmilla got it first.

“Yes, I know this is very suddenly, but is the only way to avoid the bill. You and Carmilla need to legally get married in 5 days, so Carmilla will be included on your contract, based on the time and seriousness of your commitment, we can pull that off.”

“I’ll think about it and will talk with you later.” Laura said over Carmilla’s shoulder.

“Ok, but don’t take too long. Sometimes it can take more than one day to take a marriage license.”

“Thanks, Edgar.” 

“We need to get married?” Carmilla asked with confused eyes, holding Laura’s phone.

Laura concentrated in finishing her task, pulling down Carmilla’s t-shirt to it’s place. She walked around the couch and dropped herself over it.

“That was Edgar, my lawyer. I was talking to him about our hospital bill.”

Carmilla furrowed her brows, sitting by Laura’s side “I didn’t know you had a lawyer and even less you were talking to him about that.”

“He is the company lawyer and I didn’t want to worry you about this, you can’t have more stress, the doctor said.”

“Laura I’m fine, you don’t have to hide something so serious like that from me. What the marriage thing has to do with the hospital bill?”

 

Laura explained the whole story to Carmilla. Before she just said she was dealing with that, never revealing the real problem. Now Carmilla was worried too. Fifty thousand was a big damage to their budge.

“So we get married.” Carmilla said shrugging, like it was not a big deal. “Better than to pay this ridiculous bill.”

“Carmilla. Do you really want to get marriage to avoid this?” Laura sighed. “Do you really want to take a huge step like this just because the alternative will make a dent in our bank accounts?”

“Laura. I love you, you love me. We are living under the same roof, we are going to raise a child together. Why not? It’s not like we never talked about it.”

“I do want to marry you. But not like this. I want to make this right, you know?”

Carmilla closed her eyes and let out a long breath. She knew what Laura wanted. The romantic gesture, the perfect timing. Carmilla didn’t care about that. All she wanted was to be with Laura. Nothing else mattered.

“I understand you.” She opened her eyes. “I have some savings, I can pay this bill.” She could say goodbye to her house, although.

“No. We can split, like you said. We are together in this.”

“It was all my fault, I did have a lot of caffeine an-“

“It was my fault too and you know that. And even if it wasn’t…” She shook her head “It would make no difference.”

“But it’s the baby money.” Carmilla tried to reason.

“We will be fine, ok?”

Carmilla nodded, but she could avoid the guilty feeling eating her up.

 

**+++**

 

In the middle of the night, Carmilla woke up and decided to do something. When Laura woke up in the morning, she found Carmilla wrapped around her. She kissed her hands, removing them from her body. She headed to the kitchen, feeling a strange sensation from the last night. Things between her and Carmilla got awkward again. She didn’t want to shut down Carmilla’s suggestion to take the deal, but marriage was a sensitive subjective for her. She grew up thinking about how her wedding would be. It should be the happiest day of her life, not an excuse to avoid jail or a big debt. After 3 years working on other people weddings, her fantasies and dreams about her wedding day got stronger and detailed. She knew exactly the colors she would choose, the decoration, the flowers, how her dress would be, the cake, the music… The only thing she was never sure was the person who would share all of that with her.

 

For many years, Danny was the dream bride. But after Danny, she thought she would never have that perfect day again. Everything was ruined, until Carmilla. Carmilla gave her hope and made her dream again. With Carmilla by her side, that dream was vivid again. And she dreamed out load about her wedding day, because it was not just an ordinary wedding. She would marry Carmilla. Carmilla.

 

After getting ready for work, she arrived at the kitchen and saw a note on the fridge door. “There is something for you in here.” She read the note that had also a heart drawn on the bottom.

She opened the door and found a brown paper bag with her name on it, like the first time Carmilla did it. She grabbed the bag and headed to work.

 

Back in the apartment, Carmilla was debating what to do about the bill problem. She didn’t want to spend so much money on a stupid hospital bill. She was felling even worst about her stunt with the energy drinks and the lack of sleep. Because of that, her and Laura future house was in jeopardy. The guilty made her woke up and think about a solution. She cooked Laura favorite meal (her father in law taught her the recipe) while she went to all the possibilities on her brain.

 

By the time she slept and woke up again, she had an idea. She was going to propose to Laura and tell her about the house. They could marry in the city hall, then make a proper big wedding when the time would be right. She dug her closet for a very special box, and she found it. It contained her mother diamond ring. It would be suitable for her proposal. She just needed to think about a perfect moment to do it.

 

She felt herself a little dizzy again. The effort of cooking in the middle of the night was making a number on her. She went to the living room and laid on the couch, taking deep breaths. Her phone rang with a text and she grabbed it to read. It was Laura.

 

**+++**

 

It was lunch hour and Laura was in front of the fridge to take the food Carmilla made her. To her surprise it was the past that only her father knew how to cook. She heated it on the microwave and ate each bite thinking about Carmilla. Maybe she should not be so attached to her original plan to get married in a perfect day and in perfect conditions. Life was not perfect, but she had the perfect partner she never asked for. It really matters if they were going to married now or in one year? The money was important for their future, especially to their baby future. They were more important than anything.

 

After finishing the meal (that was tasting even better than her father version) she grabbed her phone and texted Carmilla, while Perry and Lafontaine were busy talking on the phone.

 

 **Laura (1:32pm):** Thank you for lunch, it was perfect <3

 **Carmilla (1:32pm):** I’m glad you enjoyed 

**Laura (1:33pm):** We had spent so much time together lately, now I’m missing you a lot :(

 **Carmilla (1:33pm):** I miss you too, Cupcake

 

Laura sighed. She wanted to be there with Carmilla in the house in that moment, it was very close from there, but she was afraid if she would go there she would not have the strength to go back to the office.

 

 **Laura (1:35pm):** Do you have a customer story for me?

 **Carmilla (1:35pm):** I have this one, I think I never told you

 **Laura (1:35pm):** It’s not a disgusting one, or is it?

 **Carmilla (1:35pm):** totally the opposite, trust me ;)

 

Laura laughed. She never remembered seen Carmilla using an emoji before.

 

 **Carmilla (1:36pm):** So, one day this girl enters the store

 **Carmilla (1:36pm):** It’s was late in the night, but my shift had just started

 **Carmilla (1:36pm):** the girl had a beautiful golden hair and she was wearing a navy blue skirt and white dressing shirt

 **Carmilla (1:37pm):** She was on the phone and I could hear her voice, and it got my attention right away

 **Carmilla (1:37pm):** People say I have a beautiful voice, but it’s nothing comparing to her’s

 

Laura was feeling a tug on her stomach.

 

 **Carmilla (1:37pm):** she was eating a chocolate cupcake and making embarrassing sounds with her mouth, apparently that cupcake was really something

 

Laura giggled, almost dropping her phone.

 

 **Carmilla (1:38pm):** she was kind of short, but so adorable

 **Carmilla (1:38pm):** she went straight to the cookies aisle and she took also some painkillers

 **Carmilla (1:38pm):** when she came to the register counter, I was sure about 2 things

 **Carmilla (1:39pm):** first, that I had never seen her before

 **Carmilla (1:39pm):** and second, that her smile was the most beautiful thing about her

 **Carmilla (1:39pm):** her honey eyes and perfect shaped lips could shine brighter than the sun

 **Carmilla (1:39pm):** and they melted my heart right away

 

Laura was feeling tears coming out from her face. Why she was crying so much lately? It was the hormones? Or the crazy events that was leading her to a rollercoaster of emotions? She stood up and went to her purse, taking her apartment keys from it.

“Is everything okay with you?” Perry asked from her desk, seen Laura with tears on her eyes.

“Everything is just perfect.” Laura said to Perry “I’ll be right back.”

 

She walked the four blocks to her apartment, keys and phone in hand. The elevator took forever, but she finally got it. She almost could not use the key properly to open the door and enter into the apartment. She saw Carmilla laid on her back on the couch, with a warm smile and tearing eyes.

 

Laura smiled for her too, tossing the things on her hand over the kitchen island, going straight to Carmilla’s arms. She kissed Carmilla deeply, touching her jaw and her lips with her fingers. “I love you so much.” She said breaking the kiss for the first time.

“I love you too, Cupcake.” Carmilla said smiling.

Laura chucked, looking carefully in Carmilla’s brown eyes. “That’s why you call me cupcake? Because of that day?”

Carmilla nodded, smiling even more “I can’t believe you remembered what I was wearing.” Laura said in awe.

“I will never forget the day I met the love of my life.” Carmilla said with her voice affected by all the emotions.

Laura kissed her again, but the kiss didn’t last long, cause someone was knocking on their door. “Excuse-me.” Said a female voice coming from the hall.

 

Laura was so concentrated on Carmilla, she forgot to close the door. In fact, it was wide open, revealing their kitchen and living room to everyone who would pass through floor hall.

 

They turned their head to the door seeing a tall woman with a suit and a briefcase. Laura stood up first, fixing her attire. She extended her hand to Carmilla helping her to stood up too.

“I’m sorry for coming in such an inappropriate moment, but I have something important to discuss with you.”

“And who are you?” Laura said approaching the mysterious woman.

She extended her hand to Laura “My name is Sarah Goldenberg, I’m the PR from the hotel Marriot.” Laura shook her hand. “You must be Laura Hollis and Carmilla Karnstein, right?”

“Right.” Carmilla answered approaching them too. Sarah extended her hand to Carmilla.

“Please, come in.” Laura said gesturing for the couch and closing the door.

Sarah sat on the couch and looked curious to the apartment. Laura sat by her side and Carmilla took the armchair.

 

“I hope you are feeling better, Ms Karnstein” She said looking at Carmilla.

“Yes, I’m much better. Thanks” Carmilla said crossing her arms.

“I’m going straight to the point.” She said opening her briefcase. “I know there is a reporter pocking around the hotel for some story, I’m not sure what he wants, but he probably had contacted you. His name is Carl Davis.”

“Yes, he did” Laura said in an unpleased tone. “He called yesterday.

Carmilla looked at Laura hearing that information for the first time.

“I want to state that the hotel only has the best interesting for our guests, we want you to have the best time. I want to apologize for any inconvenience that occurred on your stay, and say how sorry I am about the incident.”

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. I know you did everything you could. The receptionist was very considerate and helpful.” Laura said.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Sarah said smiling to the both of them. She took a stack of papers from her briefcase. “I have a deal for you, for the inconvenience.”

“A deal?” Carmilla asked.

“We want to pay for your medical expenses and refund whatever you paid for your stay. But in exchange, you have to sign this document, claiming that you won’t sue us for the incident.”

“Is this for real?” Carmilla furrowed her brows.

“Yes.” Sarah nodded “This is a copy for you to read first. You can take this to your lawyer, in case you have one, to analyze before you sign. The offer is up for 5 days. You can take your time.” 

Laura and Carmilla looked at each other and Sarah stoop up. “Well it was very nice to meet you.” She extended her hand to Carmilla and Laura again.

“I’ll show you the way out.” Laura said following the woman to the front door.

She returned with a question mark on her face. “That really happened?”

Carmilla stood up walked to Laura “I guess so.”

“Well, I have to take this Edgar.” Carmilla held her arm, keeping Laura on her place.

“Why you didn’t tell me about the reporter?”

Laura sighed “I didn’t want to worry you.”

Carmilla closed her eyes then looked at Laura again “Do not ever hide things like this from me again, Laura.”

Laura made an apologetic smile “I won’t, I promise.” She said covering Carmilla’s hand with her own. 

“We really need to talk more.”

“Yes, I know.” She pulled Carmilla’s face with her free hand and kissed her. “I’m going to take this to Edgar right now and we will resolve this as soon as possible. Alright?”

Carmilla nodded, showing a timid smile. “Alright.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tips about the typos are always welcome.  
> You can also find me in here: theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	19. Stranger Things Have Happened

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst. A worried Carmilla. Ultrasounds, flirting, gift cards, blushing, braids and a oblivious Laura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally a little bit of everything, except...smut? Well... you know the procedure, I would really be glad to get some feedback from this chapter.

**Chapter 19 – Stranger Things Have Happened**

 

Everything happened so fast. They became friends. They moved in. They started to have sex. They became a couple. Carmilla met Laura’s father. Laura said she loved Carmilla. Carmilla felt she was becoming a mother too. They got a big scare. Laura kept things from Carmilla. And that last part bothered Carmilla more than it should.

 

She started to question what she and Laura had. Maybe the big problem was that Carmilla was into Laura months before Laura was able to even considerate a relationship between them. Carmilla had big expectations. She made plans. She changed her life to fit Laura’s. She opened her heart. She knew it could be crushed. And maybe it would be.

 

Yes, Laura was an amazing person. Gentle and loving with her. But maybe it was too much and too fast. Maybe Laura was not on the same page. She preferred to spend a fortune than to marry Carmilla. She didn’t trust her enough. All of that didn’t crush Carmilla’s heart, but it was painful anyway.

 

On top of her physical exhaustion, all of this questions and concerns were draining her body’s energies. She fell asleep on the couch, only awaking hours later, with a blanket over her. She stretched her body and walked to the fridge, looking for something to eat. She settled with some chocolate milk. In the bedroom, Laura was deeply asleep. Carmilla joined her, laying on her side, but keeping her back facing Laura, who was also sleeping on her side. With the belly showing up more, it was getting hard to find a different position to lay.

 

Carmilla didn’t know how many other hours she had spent thinking about her situation, when she was awake again, Laura was pressed against her back. She felt her heart heavy. Tears were coming down from her eyes. She didn’t remember the last time she felt like that. Like there was something really heavy over her chest. She climbed out of the bed, returning to the living room. She pace around the place, hating the tears that were falling. She buried her face on the couch pillow, muffling her sobs. When she was awake again in the morning, she was feeling a little better. Somehow the sunshine soothed her. She walked to the fridge and saw a note on the door.

 

**Made you breakfast, sleephead! It’s on the oven. Guess what it is?**   
**Love you,**   
**L**

 

A timid smile sneaked on her face. She opened the oven and found a pile of pancakes. Maybe not everything was ruined.

 

**+++**

 

Laura tried her best to get home early. The whole day she was expecting a text from Carmilla, thanking her for the breakfast. In some weird way, food always seemed to be connected to their relationship. Cupcakes, cookies, pizzas, pasta, pancakes. All of that made her thinking about Carmilla. Well, lately lots of things had made her think about Carmilla. When she saw a wedding dress, she remembered how amazing Carmilla looked in one of them. When she looked at the flowers, she remembered the tulips Carmilla gave her. When something unusual happened with a client, she wanted to be the first to tell Carmilla the story. But, in that day, Carmilla didn’t tell her anything. No story, no thank you, nothing. That was weird. Laura knew that something was wrong.

 

It was weird to find Carmilla still on the couch in the morning. She was almost sure Carmilla went to bed in the middle of the night. Maybe she went there to watching some TV. Yes, that was a real possibility. Carmilla was struggling to keep a normal sleeping schedule. Maybe it was time for her to find a new job. Laura knew she could help somehow.

 

When she arrived at the apartment, Carmilla was lying on the couch, watching the weather channel. That was really odd, Laura thought.

“Hey!” She said getting closer to Carmilla.

“Hey.” Carmilla answered with a weak smile.

Laura tried her best to smile. She was feeling this weird sensation on her stomach. “How are you feeling?” She sat on a free spot on the couch beside Carmilla’s tummy.

“Tired.” 

Laura ran her fingers through Carmilla’s hair, brushing them from her face. “Did you like breakfast?”

“Yes, it was very good, thank you.”

“Good.” Laura nodded noticing some bags under Carmilla’s eyes. She looked really tired. Maybe she was imaging things. “Tomorrow I’m going to the second ultrasound. Are you going to be alright here by yourself?”

Carmilla furrowed her eyes slightly “Don’t you wanna me to come with you?”

“Of course I want, but if you are nothing feeling very well, I don’t think you should go.”

“I want to.” Carmilla was trying her best to ignore the feeling of heaviness taking her heart again. “I’m just tired, but I can go.”

“Ok.” Laura nodded. “It’s in the afternoon, 2 o’ clock. I’ll be here to pick you up at 1, alright?”

“Alright.”

Laura smiled gently, placing a kiss on Carmilla’s forehead. “I’ll take a shower.”

Carmilla showed another weak smile and Laura left to the bathroom.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla spent the night twitching on the bed. She was getting weird dreams, waking up every hour or so because of them. Sometimes Laura was holding her. In other moments, she was the one wrapping around her girlfriend. She stood up when it was 5 in the morning, going to the bathroom to take something to help her to sleep. When she was back to bed, Laura was awake too.

 

“Carm? Are you ok?” She asked looking worried to Carmilla.

“Yes. Just some weird dreams.” Carmilla climbed on the bed, laying over her back. “I took some pills to sleep, I think it will help.”

Laura got closer to her, snuggling to Carmilla, placing her arm over her belly, resting her head over her chest. Carmilla raised her arm to wrap around Laura’s shoulder. It was a classic position they would take sometimes when they went to bed.

Laura closed her eyes, while Carmilla kept staring at the ceiling. “Goodnight, Carm.” Laura said with a sleepy voice.

“Goodnight, Laura.”  
Laura’s brain registered the last thing Carmilla said. But she was too tired to really pay attention.

 

It was Friday, the 19 weeks ultrasound day. Laura arrived at the office with concern written on her face. Lafontaine nudged Perry, who was on the phone, showing her that Laura was there. After finishing her conversation, Perry went to Laura’s desk.

“Morning sweetie!”

“Morning Perry.” Laura answered in not a very amused tone.

“It’s today your ultrasound day, right?”

“Yes, 2 o’ clock.”

“Right. Is Carmilla going with you?”

Laura thought that was a little odd, even for Perry. “Yes, why?”

“Well, I got some gift cards from The Lustig, I thought you should take the opportunity and have lunch or dinner with her after the exam.” Perry showed Laura some cards with the name of the diner.

“Didn’t know the Lustig had gift cards.”

“It’s a new thing. So, what do you think?” She looked expectantly to Laura.

“It can be helpful, I mean, I barely have time to do the dishes, can’t turn down an offer like that. Thanks.” She took the cards and tucked it on her purse.

“And how is Carmilla? Is she better now? You know, after the incident?”

“Yes. She is a little tired, but much better.”

Lafontaine came from their desk with inquisitive eyes “I don’t understand one part of Carmilla’s heart problem, Laura.”

“What part?”

“You were just walking by the beach and all of the suddenly Carmilla’s heart started to beat a lot faster?”

Laura felt her face blushing “We were more running than walking, Laf.”

“Because, even thought she was full on caffeine, the heart needs something to trigger the tachycardia.”

“Well, we were running.” Laura said dryly.

“That was a hell of run, huh?”

 

**+++**

 

Laura got back to the apartment a little early than she needed. For some reason Perry was rushing her to go home already. She found Carmilla on the couch, but she was reading this time. Laura felt a little better, nothing could be more depressed than the weather channel.

 

“You are early” Carmilla said looking up from her book.

“Yeah, Perry was afraid I could get there late, so I’m here.” Laura gesture the apartment with her 2 hands.

“I already took a shower, I’m just waiting for my hair to dry.”

Laura tilted her head to side looking more carefully to Carmilla. “I loved what you did with your hair that day, you know, the Mircalla date.”

Carmilla displayed a soft smile “Well, actually I paid for that. I went to a saloon. I can’t make that on my hair.” She shrugged.

“Wow, you probably spent a small fortune on that date.”

“Not really. Anyway, it worth it.”

“Well, if you want, I can braid your hair like that for our appointment date.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

“You have no idea about the things I’ve learning taking care of wedding emergencies.”

“I don’t want to bother you, we can’t be late.”

“We are not late. I’ll take a shower and I’ll be back.”

“Ok.”

 

After the shower, Laura took some hair bands and placed them on the island counter, along with a brush and a small mirror. She pulled out a chair from the diner room and placed it next to the counter. She looked at Carmilla, who was watching the whole process.

 

She gesture to the chair “Ms Karnstein, please.”

 

Carmilla laid down her book on the couch, walking to the chair. She sat down. Laura pated her hair and Carmilla closed her eyes, feeling a good sensation coming from that touch. Laura took the brush and pulled some strands of hair, brushing them, Carmilla’s hair was already dry. She tangled her fingers in her hair, to separate some locks.

“Do you want exactly like that, or maybe something different?” She suggested to Carmilla.

“Hum… do you know other styles?”

“I know a lot of ways to braid hair. I used to it a lot on myself, you know, when life was more easy.”

“Do what you think it’s better.” Carmilla shrugged.

“Ok, I’ll make something very beautiful for you.” Laura kissed Carmilla’s temple and brushed her hair again.

 

Laura busied herself braiding Carmilla’s hair. She thought it was odd that Carmilla was so quiet. At a time like that, she would be making jokes and teasing Laura somehow. Maybe she was finally feeling the consequences of her heart problem. At least, that was the most likely possibility.

 

After a few minutes the braid was done. She braided two locks coming from Carmilla’s temple until the middle of her head, merging them to one single braid along the rest of the hair length.

“It’s done!” She said with a happy tone looking at her master piece. “Do you want to see?”

“Yes.” Carmilla said in cracking voice. She cleaned her voice and spoke again “Yes, let me see.”

Laura gave her the mirror and stood by Carmilla’s side. Carmilla turned her head to see the braids, catching Laura’s reflection along with them. Laura was smiling warmly to Carmilla, what melted her heart a little.

Laura walked and stood in front of Carmilla, looking her front. The new hair and the makeup Carmilla did earlier was a good combination “It’s perfect, you look amazing!” She said excited.

“I can’t really see the back.” Carmilla was struggling to see her full hairstyle.

“Come here.” Laura took her hand, leading Carmilla to the bathroom.

She guided Carmilla to stay in front of the sink mirror and took the small mirror from her hand, placing it by Carmilla’s back, mirroring her back reflection to the other mirror. Carmilla looked to the perfect braided strands of hair and finally display a full smile on her face.

“It’s really beautiful, thank you.” She said turning to Laura.

Laura pulled her jaw gave Carmilla a peck. She licked her lips and looked at her watch. “We need to go.”

“Right.” Carmilla nodded, licking her lips too.

 

**+++**

 

The ride to the clinic was strangely silent. Laura felt the air still a little heavy after the sweet moment they shared in the bathroom. On their way to the front desk, Laura turned to Carmilla.

“I really need to pee. Can you tell to the doctor’s secretary that I’m here?”

“Sure.” Carmilla gave her a half smile, while Laura sprinted to the restroom.

On the front desk, Carmilla was welcome by a warm smile from Lucy, the receptionist. “Good afternoon. May I help you?”

Carmilla nodded “Yes, I’m here with Laura Hollis for her ultrasound appointment.” She stood up a little tense by the desk, hands tucked in her pants front pocket, eyes on the floor.

“Of course, Laura Hollis! She is such a lovely girl.” Lucy smiled wider. “What is your name? I need to fill her file, you know.” She grimaced.

Carmilla looked up “Carmilla. Carmilla Karnstein.”

“Karnstein ! Is that from Germany? I like the way it sounds.” Lucy gave a small giggle.

“No, it’s from Austria.” Carmilla said keeping her neutral tone, she turned to the hall, checking for Laura.

“Austria?! That’s kind of exotic, huh?” Now she was shamelessly staring at Carmilla, taking in her whole figure.

“Never been there, so…” Carmilla shrugged.

“I think that explain your features.”

Carmilla cleaned her throat “Do you need any other information?”

“Oh, of course.” She made an apologetic expression “I mean, no, but wait a minute.”

She took a business card from the pile on her desk and wrote down something on it. “Here is the clinic number, in case you need something in the future. And…” She pointed to the number she wrote with her pen “This is my number for any other purposes, you know…” She shrugged and tilted her head to the side, wrinkling her nose.

“I think Laura already have your number.” Carmilla said aloof.

“But you don’t.” Lucy smiled again. Carmilla didn’t want to sound rude to the clinic secretary, if she was any other girl, Carmilla would not waste any more time and would just turn her down.

“Thanks.” Carmilla took the card and turned to the waiting room. Laura was already sat on one of the chairs.

“Why it took so long?” Laura asked looking from Carmilla to a smiling Lucy.

Carmilla sat down on the chair by Laura’s right side, diverting Laura’s attention in the opposite direction from the front desk. “She was just making small talk.”

“Who? Lucy?” Laura looked to the front desk again, her eyebrows pushed together. “Was she hitting on you?”

“Well, she gave me her phone, but she was just been helpful.” Carmilla showed her the card. Laura took it from Carmilla and her frown was turning to a furious gaze.

“I’ll talk to her.” She was getting up, but Carmilla held her shoulder.

“Laura, come on. Let it go.” Carmilla waited for Laura to look at her again. “This is not a big deal.”

“Did you tell her that I’m your girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Laura crossed her arms.

“I didn’t want to make her feel bad. It’s not a big deal, really, and she works for your doctor, do you really want to pick a fight with her?” 

Laura twisted her face pouting. “No.”

“Do you trust me?”

She uncrossed her arms, looking a little ashamed to Carmilla “Of course I do.”

“So, just let it be. I don’t care, you shouldn’t too.” Carmilla reached for her hand, taking it and squeezing it.

Laura took a deep breath feeling so much better with Carmilla’s touch. She smiled to Carmilla when another idea came to her mind. “Is she looking at us right now?”

Carmilla tilted her head a little bit to her right. “Yes.”

“Good.” Laura inclined to Carmilla, touching her jaw with her free hand. 

Carmilla chuckled lightly, knowing what Laura was about to do. She held Laura’s hand on her face, caressing it gingerly. They met in the middle, lips touching softly, then tenderly. When they separated, Laura was still with her eyes closed, licking her lips. Carmilla looked briefly to Lucy, who had her eyesight directed to her desk, a frown plastered on her face.

Carmilla squeeze Laura’s hands again, making her opening her eyes. Laura smiled gently to Carmilla, extending her hand to pat a few strands of loosen hair on her braid.

“Are you ok?” Laura asked taking a better look at Carmilla, completely forgetting the initial purpose of the kiss.

Carmilla simply nodded.

And someone called the name Laura Hollis.

 

**+++**

 

“So, you must be the girlfriend?” Doctor Collins said extending his hand to Carmilla.

“Yes, I’m Carmilla.” She shook his hand, waiting for some confusion about her and Danny.

“Nice to meet you!” He smiled at her “Now, let’s take a look at this baby, shall we?”

Carmilla sighed relieved.

Laura climbed on the small bed with the help of Carmilla. This time she just needed to fold up her shirt. Dr. Collins applied the cold gel on her belly, Laura let out a squeal.

“I know, it’s cold. But there is nothing we can do about it.” He smiled apologetic. “Let’s see if he or she is fine.” The doctor hummed while Carmilla automatic held Laura’s hand like the other time. “Did you have chose names yet?”

Laura and Carmilla looked at each other with questioning expressions. “No. Not yet.” Laura said trying to hide her own surprise. They never talked about names.

“Well, it’s never too late.”

 

They checked the heartbeat and the fetus size and health. It was all according to what was expected. Laura felt relieved. She always felt tense before every exam, afraid that something wrong would come up.

 

“Do you want to know the sex?” The doctor asked finally.

Laura looked at to Carmilla, who had a blank expression. She looked back to the screen, where she finally could see the baby’s head and hands. The doctor printed some pictures for them to take home. “It is possible?” Laura asked.

“At 19 weeks we can know that, it’s not 100% accurate, especially if it’s is a girl. But if it’s a boy, usually there is no doubt.”

He looked at both girls “And we need the baby to be in a favoring position, which it’s the case with your baby right now.”

Laura looked at Carmilla again, who had her gaze locked on the screen, eyebrows raised in concern. “So, let’s take a look.” Laura said keeping her eyes on Carmilla.

Carmilla immediately looked down to Laura, lowering her eyebrows, forming a soft and gentle expression. Laura squeezed her hand and turned to face the screen.

“Alright.” Dr Collins said moving the scanner down on Laura’s belly. The tension was growing between the girlfriends. An image was frozen on the screen. “Look at that!” He turned to face them. “I think your name list will be much more easer now. You are going to have a boy!”

“A boy?” Laura asked still processing the information. 

“Yes, a baby boy.” He smiled widely to them. “Congratulations!”

Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Cupcake.” She whispered in Laura’s ear.

Laura was shedding tears. She was not sure why, really, but the emotion was overwhelming. Carmilla called her Cupcake. They were going to have a boy. Life was perfect again.

 

**+++**

 

While driving to The Lustig, Laura was still processing the news. “A boy! Can you believe this?” She looked briefly to Carmilla on her side.

“Yes, I can.” Carmilla smiled. “It’s that what you were expecting?”

“I don’t know! I thought about all the possibilities, you know? But somehow it was easy to picture a girl. But a boy? It’s strange and at the same time new? Only one day I had this sensation they were a boy, but just once. I don’t know, I’m constantly surrounded by girls and women, the only boy I really love is my father, and know my father is a man, but in general I’m more keen to women, and now I’m going to be a mother of a boy? It’s so weird, but also so cool, you know?”

Carmilla nodded. “I think I do.”

“What you were expecting?”

“To be honest, I was imagining a girl too. You know, because I always imagine them to be a little version of you, so, yeah, I was expecting a girl, but I loved the surprise.”

“Me too! Well, I think. I don’t know, I need time to process this.” She shook her head.

 

Minutes later they reached the diner. They left the car holding hands. Laura was still in awe with the news, while Carmilla was happy with Laura’s last minute decision. They sat on a booth on the left wall, and ordered chesses burgers to celebrate.

 

“We need to choose names!” Laura said excited “How we didn’t that yet?”

“There was a lot going on.” Carmilla raised her shoulders. “And the baby hasn’t born yet, we have time.”

“Alright.” Laura made her thinking face. “We can name him after someone in the family, or choose a gender neutral name, in case he realized he is not a boy, or we can look at some names dictionaries, or honor someone important in the history of the world.”

Carmilla chuckled. “What?” Laura said looking at her again.

“Nothing, it’s just… you are already blabbing.”

Laura rolled her eyes, holding her wish to slap Carmilla playfully. “I’m happy.”

“Me too.” A silent fell between them and Carmilla decided to start the talk again “What is your father name? I never heard it.”

“John.”

“It’s a classic. It can work.”

“I don’t know.” Laura said in a high pitch voice. “Too ordinary. What about yours?”

“My father?” Laura nodded. “Patrick.”

“Hum… Patrick Karnstein-Hollis.”

“Why not, Hollis-Karnstein?”

“Because I’ll be the one who will propose. It wasn’t that our deal?”

Carmilla raised one brow “Who propose first.”

Laura pointed to herself “Yes, me.”

Carmilla shrugged “If you say so.”

“What about John Patrick Karnstein-Hollis?” She motion her hands with every name. “Or we can create a new name based on our fathers names together?”

Carmilla furrowed her brows “Are you not seriously using a Twilight lame trick to name our son?”

“Our son…” Laura repeated in awe. Carmilla chucked. “No! No! I mean…” She furrowed her brows “Did you read Twilight?”

“For research reasons.” She said aloof.

“Of course.” Laura was seeing the old Carmilla’s demeanor back. The broody and teasing one on the outside, but gentle and loving on the inside. “I mean, I want something that can have a bit of me and a bit of you.”

“Hollstein.” Carmilla raised her two eyebrows “You know it’s our last names.”

“I know, but…” Laura held her laugh “It’s horrible! Hollstein Karnstein-Hollis, poor kid.”

“I know.” Carmilla nodded, laughing at herself. “I was just trying to use your lame idea.”

“It was really lame. And I just hate Twilight, so let’s think about something else.”

Carmilla nodded “Yeah, we have time.”

Their food arrived and their conversation took another route. A shadow stood in front of them, breaking their attention from the conversation. Laura looked up and she saw Danny standing right by her side.

“Hey, Laura.” Danny said with a small wave to her ex-girlfriend.

“Hey, Danny.” Laura said with a high pitchy voice. Danny looked at Carmilla who was keeping a very poker face.

“Drugstore girl.” She said gesturing to Carmilla with her right hand. “Why I’m not surprised?”

“Is there any problem, Xena?” Carmilla crossed her arms, staring at Danny.

“Of course not. Everything is just fine and I could not be any happier.” She crossed her arms too, looking at Laura again.

“Yeah, I heard the news. Congratulations.” Laura said trying to lightening the mood.

“Thanks, Laura.” Danny shifted her weight, looking briefly to Carmilla before looking at Laura again. “What about your baby plans? Did you give up on that to start to date again? You seemed so determined to be pregnant.”

Laura looked at Carmilla, then back to Danny. “I didn’t. I am pregnant.”

Danny made a confused face, like she was not believing what Laura was saying. “You…?”

Laura dragged her hips on the seat, reaching the edge and turning her legs to the side, revealing her 4 months and 1 week pregnancy belly. “I’m 19 weeks, or four months and a bit.”

Danny expression fell to a shocked one. “But…” Danny was silent. She scratched the side of her head. “We broke up less than 4 months ago Laura.”

Carmilla looked at Laura with her brows furrowed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _This is not really happening._

“You were pregnant?” Danny’s voice was weak, then a little louder “You were pregnant when you broke up with me.”

Laura felt her face rigid, her hands turning into fists, she returned to her previous position on the seat. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She looked at Carmilla again, feeling her heart heavy, the good mood of that afternoon was out the window completely.

“Yes, it does. Laura…” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Why did you hide it?”

“I told you I was going to have a kid with or without you. And you said you didn’t want to have children in this exactly same diner. Why are you surprised?”

“I didn’t know you… why you… “ Danny was shaking and nervous. 

“I’ll let you talk this through.” Carmilla said moving to leave her seat.

“No, you stay!” Laura demanded gesturing to Carmilla. She looked back to Danny “This baby is not yours Danny, he never was, never will be. Do you understand that?”

“He? It’s a boy?” Danny said covering her mouth. “Laura…”

“Yes, it’s a boy, Danny. But you had anything to do with him.”

“Did you use that donor we chose, didn’t you?”

“Well…” Laura’s voice was cracking.

“I need to go.” Carmilla said moving away from her seat “You have a lot to talk and I’m not feeling really good.”

“I’ll go with you.” Laura said moving from her place too.

“No.” Carmilla took Laura’s hand. “You know this is the right thing to do, right? Talk to Danny, I’ll wait for you in home. Ok?”

Laura shed a lonely tear nodding to Carmilla. Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand, kissing her cheek before she left, giving the death stare to Danny on her way out.

Danny waited for Carmilla to leave and to cross the street, to sit on Laura’s booth. Laura was staring at the table, her hands back to fists.

“Laura, I still love y-“

“No, Danny, you don’t!” Laura said in a harsh tone. “Do you know who really love me? Carmilla.”

“Laura, you used our donor, didn’t you?”

“Our donor?” She looked with furious eyes at Danny “My baby’s donor. There is not our anything!”

“But you were pregnant when we were dating…”

“I tried to make a surprise for you. But you lied to me, Danny. You made it very clear that you didn’t want to have a family with me.”

“I didn’t know you were pregnant. Like… you lived with me while you were pregnant, we slept together while you were pregnant, we chose names, we chose donors, we planned this baby together.” She gestured for Laura’s belly.

“You are missing the point, Danny. It doesn’t matter anymore.” She raised her shoulders “I’m sorry If was not totally honest with you, but I didn’t want to be a burden for your career, and I was right. You did it, you got the spot on the Olympics, the sponsors, the fame, everything you wanted. And I am happy too. Very happy.”

“But I’m not, really.” Danny looked sadly to her. “I’ve missed you every day.”  
“I’m sorry for you Danny. I really am. But we are totally done.”

 

**+++**

 

In the apartment Carmilla was pacing all over the place. _Damn, Elsie was right. She was fucking right. And I hate this. I just hate all of this. I hate that Laura hided things from Danny, I hate Danny and I hate that Elsie was right._

 

Her head was aching again. She went to the bathroom and took some painkillers. _Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why things like that happen to me? What did I do in another life, really? I probably pissed someone pretty hard._

 

Her head was getting worst, the pain still throbbing on her temple and in the back of her head. She took more pills and dropped herself on the bed. _A boy. A baby boy. But maybe not my baby boy anymore._

 

**+++**

 

Laura got to her apartment exhausted. Danny didn’t cut any slack to her. All she wanted was to be with Carmilla again. After the odd last days, they were finally getting to a good place again, and Danny showed up and ruined everything. There was no sight of Carmilla in the kitchen or in the living room. Looking again, she realized that the place was shining clean. Then she understood why Perry gave her the gift cards and rushed her early. She emptied her bladder on the bathroom before she reached the bedroom where she found Carmilla laid on the bed, wrapped in a blanket.

 

She sat on the bed, close to Carmilla, she was fast asleep on the same clothes. Laura extended her hand to shake Carmilla. It was useless. She got closer, crawling on the bed. “Hey, Carmilla, wake up.”

Carmilla was kind of hot. Laura touched her forehead, feeling it strangely too hot. “Fuck.”

She shook Carmilla with more strength, calling her name. Finally Carmilla growled. “Cupcake, let me sleep.”

Laura sighed a little bit relieved “Carm, you have a fever, get up.”

“Nooo, my head hurts, and I’m feeling cold.”

“It’s the fever. Come on, you need a bath.” Laura nudged her.

 

Carmilla obeyed and slowly climbed out of the bed. Laura guided her to the bathtub, laying Carmilla in it. She helped Carmilla to remove all of her clothes, before she started to fill the tub with cold water.

 

“It’s too cold.” Carmilla complained like a whiny toddler.

“It will be good for you, Carmilla.”

“Warm it up a bit, pleeease.”

“Fine.” Laura let a bit of the hot water to mix in the tub.

She went to the cabinet and took a thermometer. She asked for Carmilla to open her mouth and she placed the thermometer inside it. 

Carmilla started to shake after the water was getting on her chest. “It’s too cold Laura.”

“Hang in there Carm, you’ll be fine.” Laura pated her forehead, examinee her temperature again. “You’re still hot.”

She took the thermometer and looked at it. “104, crap.”

 

She went to the cabinet again and looked for some medicine for fever. She got some pills and handed them to Carmilla with a glass of water. She was still shaking and complaining about the cold and the head ache. Laura soothed her brushing her hair and reset the thermometer and shoved it in Carmilla’s mouth again.

 

Laura held her hand and she turned off the tap. The minutes passed dragging, after the third time Laura was checking Carmilla’s temperature, it’s turned down to 101. She sighed relived, calling Carmilla again. She wrapped Carmilla in a robe, and took her to bed, taking the robe off before she laid Carmilla back to bed, just covering her with a sheet. 

“Are you feeling better?” She asked Carmilla, who was nuzzling on the pillows. 

“Yes.” Carmilla said with a weak voice.

“Good.” Laura was brushing her hair again. “I love you, Carmilla.”

She stood up and gave a few steps in direction to the door, she really needed a shower.

“I love you too.” Carmilla said almost like a whisper before she fell deeply asleep.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up drooling on the pillow she was attached. Her head heavy, like she was having a hung over. She was leaving the bed when she noticed that she was completely naked. She took the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around her body. As soon as she approached the door she heard muffled sounds of Laura’s voice. She opened the door and peaked to the hall, finding Laura alone on the phone, pacing from one side to the other on the apartment.

 

“I know it’s Saturday Nancy, but please I really need this. You can add her as my domestic partner.” Laura was saying on the phone.

Carmilla started to walk slowly down the hall.

“Yes! I don’t care how it gonna cost, but make sure it will be valid for today, please.” She turned seeing Carmilla walking on her way. “Thank you Nancy, I own a big one. Bye.”

Laura turned off her call while Carmilla sat on the kitchen island, her face a mess.

“Hey, how are you doing?” Laura approached Carmilla touching her forehead. It felt normal.

“Like I got hit by a truck.” Carmilla said with hands clenched on the sheet. “Did I drink last night or something?”

“You don’t remember?” Laura pushed her brows together, supporting her elbows on the island by Carmilla’s side.

“No.” Carmilla was having a hard time the keep her heavy eyelids open. “Did we have sex?”

“Noooo.” Laura said surprised by the question. “Of course, not.”

“So, why I’m naked?”

“You really don’t remember, huh?” She shook her head. “Well, you were burning, 104 degrees. I took you to the tub and gave you a cold shower, until the fever lower down.”

“So… why I’m still feeling like shit?”

“I don’t know, I was calling to my insurance broker to include you in my health and dental insurance, so we can go to the hospital without the fear of bankruptcy.”

“It’s a good idea.”

“I don’t know if it can be done today, but let’s hope it will work.”

 

Carmilla returned to bedroom, taking her clothes to the bathroom to take a proper shower. The hot water and some painkillers made her feel a lot better. She brushed her hair, undoing Laura’s braid, it was already ruined by that time, but she felt bad about it anyway.

 

On the kitchen, she was welcome by the smell of pancakes. Laura asked her to sit by the table, where minutes later, Laura brought them a stack of pancakes and 2 mugs of hot chocolate. Carmilla really missed coffee in that moment. They ate in silence until Laura started to talk.

“My dad called and he told me that everything will be ready for his moving next week.”

Carmilla nodded.

“And, he wants me to be there to take the things I want to keep from our house. He won’t bring much, and the rest of the things will be donated.”

Carmilla hummed in response.

“Do you wanna come with me?”

“If I’ll be feeling good by then, I will.”

“Okay.”

After another moment of silence later, Carmilla decided to talk.

“Why the bathroom was super clean and that big pile of dirty cloths disappeared?”

“I believe Perry and Lafontaine came here while we were out and took care of everything. They cleaned the floor, the bedrooms, the kitchen, they did the dishes, our laundry, and dusted every surface…” She took her phone. “I need to thank them.” She tipped a text thanking her friends for the big help.

“Right, Laf still have their key. Tell them I said thank you too.”

“Sure.” Laura said a little bit amused. “And, are you feeling better?”

“A lot better.” Carmilla said without any further detail.

 

After they finished eating, Laura took all the dishes washing everything, while Carmilla returned to the bedroom, dropping herself on the bed again.

Laura approached the threshold, leaning a bit staring at Carmilla, that was laid on her side, facing the opposite wall. Laura stepped up and entered the room, climbing on the bed, also laying on her side, facing Carmilla’s back. She approached a little more, resting her forehead on Carmilla’s nape.

“Are we alright?” She asked with a soft voice.

Carmilla took a deep breath “You tell me.”

Laura hesitated opening her mouth to say something, but she just didn’t know what to say. She really didn’t know if they were fine. The silence grew more, Laura was feeling her heart sink by the minute.

“You called me Laura.” She said in mix of sadness and anger.

Carmilla turned and faced Laura, seeing the hurt on her eyes. “The other night, you called me Laura. Why you were mad at me then? And why are you mad now? It’s because of Danny?”

Carmilla shook her head closing her eyes. “I’m not mad at you.”

“So why have you been so distant lately? Don’t tell me it’s your sickness or that you are tired, I know there is something.”

Carmilla opened her eyes, holding some tears that were threatening to fall. “You kept things from me. And you rather paid that huge bill than to marry me.” The pain was clear in her voice too.

“Carmilla… I explained that to you. You were sick, the doctor told me that you should not suffer any stress… It’s not like I don’t trust you.”

“You did the same thing to Danny. That day on the lake you asked me what you should do. I really thought you told Danny the truth.”

“I said to Danny what she needed to know. She lied to me too. She told me she wanted to have a baby, but she didn’t. And Danny it’s in the past.”

“It didn’t seem like she was thinking the same.”

“It’s not my fault if she is not happy about her decisions.”

“She said she was happy.”

Laura sighed “After you left, she told me that she still loves me and that she was missing me, but… It doesn’t matter, cause I don’t want to be with Danny, I want to be with you, don’t you understand that?”

Carmilla let some tears fall from her eyes. Laura touched Carmilla’s eyes, wiping them with her thumbs.

“And about the marring part, I really didn’t want to marry you like that, but I’ve changed my mind. The day you made me dinner I realized that I wanted to marry and I didn’t really care if it was perfect or fancy… because it was you, and you is all I want. And after you texted me I was sure about that. I took the offer from the hotel not because I would avoid to marry you, but because they will stop the story to end up in that horrible newspaper.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Can you imagine my father or my clients reading about our sex on the beach triggering you a heart condition?”

“No.” Carmilla almost laughed.

“And… in that same day I went to shopping for something, that I kept in my side table drawer all of these days, just waiting for Friday to do the right thing.”

“What right thing?” Carmilla asked in a soft voice.

Laura turned and opened her drawer, taking out a small black velvet box. She turned back to Carmilla, opening the box revealing a diamond ring.

“Of course I want to marry you. But, do you want to marry me, Carmilla Karnstein?”

Carmilla opened the biggest smile she ever got on her face. “Yes.”

Laura hugged her and kissed her, even before Carmilla was able to try her engagement ring.

“You totally beat me, Cupcake.” Carmilla said breaking the kiss.

Laura squealed “I told you! Now, put on your ring, woman! You’re not single anymore.”

Carmilla laughed. “Wait a minute.” She raised one finger, kissing Laura quickly.

She stood up and walked to the closed, taking a small black box too. She climbed on the bed, while Laura sat up, still holding her box. Carmilla opened up her box, handing it to Laura.

“Do you accept my engagement ring, Ms Hollis?” Laura eyes were widened in a surprise look, then she formed a pout.

“I thought you were gonna to propose to me too.”

Carmilla raised her shoulder “You asked first, I say yes. Right?”

“Yeah, but… I want to hear it too. The question.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Ok. Do you wanna marry me, Laura Hollis?”

“Of course!”

Laura jumped on Carmilla again kissing her eagerly.

They put their rings on each other fingers, Carmilla’s fitted like a glove on her finger, while Laura’s got a bit larger.

Carmilla smiled apologetic “I know it’s a little big, it belonged to my mother, if you don’t like I can get a new one.”

“No, it’s perfect.” Laura said looking at the shining rock on her finger. She was not thinking about the ring size or its beauty, but how that moment felt in her heart. Just perfect.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The surprises are not over... stay tuned...
> 
> Carmilla's ring Laura bough  
> http://tinyurl.com/od3bo8m
> 
> Laura's ring from Carmilla's mom:  
> http://tinyurl.com/nhx47tp
> 
> More extras from this fic on my tumblr: theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	20. 20 Weeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla are adjusting to their new status.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is sort of a strange chapter, see for yourselves.

**Chapter 20 – 20 Weeks**

 

Carmilla was looking at the bright rock on her finger, while her hand was resting over Laura’s stomach. After a sweet make out session, they were laying on the bed, Laura resting on her back, Carmilla wrapped by her side, head over a pile of pillows beside Laura’s belly, her left hand just randomly tracing patterns around the navel.

 

The ring was silver, with a thick band decorated with a kind of engraving that somehow captured her personality. The square diamond rock on the middle was not small and not too big, just perfectly in harmony with the rest of the ring. She had no idea how much that cost, and although she was curious, she thought that would probably be not very polite to ask. She smiled again feeling the luckiest woman in the world, placing a few kisses on Laura’s torso.

 

“Hey little guy, your mothers are engaged, isn’t that great?” She said to the belly.

Laura, who was looking at her hand too, diverted her eyes to the woman talking to her belly.

“She proposed to me first, but you have to know that I was planning to do that a long time ago, but she just beat me. And do you do know why? She is going to say it’s because she loves me, but the truth it’s because she is very competitive.”

“Hey!”

“And because she wanted her last name to be the last one on our family name.”

“No. It’s because I love you and because I wanted to do a romantic gesture for a change.”

“See? She is also in a competition to see which one of us is more romantic.”

Laura rolled her eyes.

“But I don’t mind, it’s a gain-gain situation, really.” She turned her head and faced Laura, with a big smile.

Laura looked at her hand again “Carm, how long is this ring have been on your family? This is not like a very expensive jewelry, right?”

Carmilla pushed herself up on the bed, supporting her side over her elbow. “I really don’t know how expensive it is, but it’s on my family for a lot of generations, that’s all I know.”

Laura extended her hand looking it at a bigger distance “It’s so beautiful.”

Carmilla rested her head over Laura’s shoulder “Yeah, it is. We need to take it to somewhere to fix.”

“We can take to the place I bough yours.”

Carmilla raised her hand placing it beside Laura’s. “How you managed to buy a perfect size to my finger? I don’t wear rings for you to have a model.”

Laura held Carmilla’s hand, kissing it and placing it over her chest “Well, when I bought, it was a little bit big too, but I tried it on your finger, when you were asleep on the couch and I took it back to the store to do the fitting and then I tried it again in the next night, when you were having some bad dreams. That was not easy.”

“All of this in just 3 days? I’m impressed, Cupcake. I wish I had thought something like this before give you a loose ring.”

“Well, I’m not an expert in weddings by chance.” She turned her head and kissed Carmilla.

“But you can’t beat me at Risk, that’s for sure.” Carmilla said teasing.

“You were cheating! I don’t know how, but I’m sure you were!”

Carmilla laughed out loud, pulling Laura’s left hand and kissing it. “Yes I was, but it worth it, every minute.”

“I knew it! Nobody can be this lucky!” She sat up. “How you did it?”

“Do you really want to know?” Carmilla rolled and laid on her back.

“Of course I want t know! Don’t you know me?”

“I learned from a girl I met in Las Vegas, she worked in a Casino.”

“This story ends with you having sex?”

“Well…”

“Yeah, I don’t want to know.”

“I can show you later with the dices, it’s all about how to roll them.”

“I knew that too! But how did you beat me when you shook the dices pretty hard?”

“ _That_ was luck.”

“Your dirty little cheater.” Laura slapped Carmilla playfully on her arm, making Carmilla to pull her again for another kiss.

Laura giggled, tangling her legs with Carmilla’s, clutching her hair. Carmilla pulled Laura closer, her hands snaking to her ass, squeezing it. “I wish _this_ could end up with us having sex.”

“Me too.” Laura returned to the kissing until things became a little too hot than it should. “Carm…” She said under her breath.

Carmilla got the message, breaking the kiss and removing her hands from Laura. She climbed out of bed. “How about we go to that store now?”

Laura took a deep breath and nodded. “Sure.”

 

**+++**

 

After leaving the ring on the shop, Laura and Carmilla took a walk through the city holding hands. They took some ice cream and sat on a park bench where Laura took some selfies and some pictures of Carmilla’s ring. Back at the apartment they ordered a pizza and resume their Buffy marathon.

 

Later, Laura’s father called her, giving more details about the trip. Carmilla was not sure yet if she could be there too. On Sunday, they spent the morning making out on the bed. They ate the last night pizza on lunch and Laura pulled out a jigsaw puzzle box for her and Carmilla to assemble.

 

“If your goal is to push down our sex drive, Cupcake, you succeed.” Carmilla said while she was separating the blue pieces of an ocean picture. “Cause nothing can be more dull than this.”

“You said that about every game I suggested.” Laura was concentrated on forming the edges “And the last time the game was not bore, it didn’t ended up very well.”

“The game was not the problem, really.” Carmilla shrugged.

“And I was right, you did cheated.”

“Only in games, my love.” Carmilla smiled smugly “And only to piss you off, cause it’s hilarious, so it’s kind of your fault in the end.”

A new thought invaded Laura thoughts and she could not avoid the question. “Have you ever cheated your girlfriend?”

Carmilla looked intrigued to Laura “Where this is coming from?”

Laura shrugged “Curiosity and the repeated use of the word cheat.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes “No, I did not.” Then she looked at Laura again, squinting her eyes “Have you?” 

Laura shook her head. “Nope!”

Carmilla hummed. “Ok.”

 

The silent grew among them while they kept doing their work on the puzzle. Laura was throwing glances at Carmilla every other minute, with another questioning face.

 

“What?” Carmilla said breaking her concentration from the puzzle to stare at Laura.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Laura bit her lower lip, her finger fidgeting with a piece “I’m curious about another thing too.”

“So, ask me.”

“Hum… have you been with a man? I mean, not just about kissing, but you know…?”

“And where _that_ came from?” Laura was about to say something when Carmilla interrupted her “Never mind, ok… you want to know if I’m golden star lesbian, right?”

Laura made what Carmilla could call of an innocent face “Well, kind of.” 

Carmilla looked the kitchen table again, assembling another piece on the blue corner of her side. “I’m not.”

Laura raised her two eyebrows staring at Carmilla again. Carmilla kept her concentration on the puzzle, just waiting for Laura’s reaction. Inside she was laughing amused.

Laura knew what Carmilla was doing, so she let out a displeased sight and tried to put her pieces together. A couple of minutes passed and Carmilla kept her poker face in place.

“How long are you going to do that?” Laura stopped and looked at Carmilla, swallowing her pride.

“Doing what?”

“Making me bag for more information.”

“I answered your question, didn’t I?”

Laura wanted to throw a piece on Carmilla’s, but she was afraid that the silly act could turn into something worst. Lately she was that lucky.

“Okay, I’m going to bite.” She ruffed “You can’t just say that you had slept with a guy and not tell any more details.”

“I didn’t say it was one.”

“What?”

Carmilla chuckled and looked at Laura again. “Relax. It was one guy, one time. And that’s it.”

“But… why? How did it go?”

“Have _you_ ever been with a guy?”

Laura closed her eyes taking another deep breath. Yeah, that would not be easy, Carmilla was being impossible. “No. Just kissed a couple on high school, it didn’t feel anything, end of the story.” She gesture for Carmilla. “Now, your turn.”

“That’s not interesting really.” She said aloof.

“Carmilla…” She whined.

“Alright! What is the fuss anyway? Eager to fantasy me with a guy?”

“Oh no, grows!”

“Well, it was not grows, but it was not good either, so…”

“Carmilla! The story!”

“Right.” She sighed “After I broke up with Ell I met this French guy who was an English major. He was very sensitive, considered himself a poetry, was he almost a girl, really.”

Laura placed her two hands under her chin, supporting her elbows over the table, her eyes shining with curiosity “How he looked like?”

“Why do you always want to know that? When I told you about the Casino girl you just dismissed me, now you want the details about the dullest sex of my life?”

“Carmilla!”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “He had long dark hair and a beard. Brown eyes, not fat, not skinny, just average.”

“And then…?” She gesture for Carmilla to proceed.

“He invited me for a poetry reading in a café near the University. I was still feeling bad about the Ell, so after the reading I went to his dorm and we did it.”

“And…?”

“As I told you, it was not bad, but also not good. Mostly boring. You’re not missing anything.” Carmilla completed her affirmation with a very boring face.

“Did he call you? Did you see him again?”

Carmilla furrowed her brows “Oh no, I never gave him my phone. I think that was all he wanted anyway, a one night stand.”

“Oh.” Laura nodded settling her curiosity for once.

 

**+++**

 

Laura arrived at her office on Monday morning with a big rock on her finger. She left the apartment a little early to take her ring from the shop, it was perfect. Perry saw the ring from her desk, when Laura stepped in the I Do Wedding Planning. Laura showed her the ring and told excited the story of how she made the propose. Perry was in a mix of happiness and concern. She did her best to hide her concerns from Laura. Lafontaine came after a few minutes and Laura told them the whole story again, while Perry maintained her exaggerated grin.

 

After a meeting they decided it was time to hire another assistant. Work was getting tough and they were declining new clients because they could not handle so many marriages at the same time. Laura knew how hard it would be to find someone. She made plans to have lunch with Carmilla, but she got a wedding emergency to deal with in the middle of the afternoon. Still on the phone with her client, she told Perry to send a text to Carmilla to cancel their plan. Perry just nodded while Lafontaine took their car keys and guided Laura to the hall, they both were going to deal with the problem.

 

Perry got her phone and she almost texted Carmilla. Instead, she called to a different place.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla knocked the door of the office 307 and was greeted by the last person she was expecting.

“Hello, Carmilla, come in.” Perry said in a polite tone.

“Hello.” She looked around at the office, stepping inside and founding no Laura. Then she looked with a nervous smile to Perry. “Where is Laura?”

“Well, she needed to leave a few minutes ago, one of her clients was having a problem with the venue. Lafontaine went with her.”

“So, I’ll just head home…” Carmilla was pointing back to the door when Perry grabbed her wrist.

“Oh, is this the ring Laura gave you?” she pulled Carmilla’s hand in front of her eyes. Carmilla just mumbled a yes, taken aback by the gesture. “It’s really beautiful! Very you!”

“I think so too.” Carmilla smiled shyly then she looked at the door again “Yeah, I’m just-“

“No, no. Come here, I bough lunch for us.” She gesture for the table set with 2 plastic containers, 2 glasses and 2 sets of silverware.

Carmilla looked even more surprised to Perry, her brain despairingly trying to come up with a very good excuse to leave. She got nothing.

“Ok.” She gave Perry a forced smile and sat down on one of the chairs.

Perry went to the fridge and took a bottle of apple juice and filled the glasses. Carmilla thanked her with another awkward smile, a little afraid to sip the glass.

“So.” Perry said sitting on the other side of the table “This is shrimp scampi with linguini from the Mrs Claus, it’s one of Laura’s favorite dishes.”

“Didn’t know that.” Carmilla hesitated before she opened the container lid. She waited for Perry to do it first.

“It’s really good.” Perry said after her first bite. She looked more carefully to Carmilla and noticed how she was paler than the usual and with some dark marks under her eyes.

Carmilla ate some too. “Yes, very good.” She nodded.

“Laura told me you like to cook for her, so I thought it would be nice if you knew another dish that she likes.”

“I’ll definitely remember that.” 

They ate in silence for another few minutes, before Perry spoke again. “Carmilla, I know we are not the best of friends, but… I really want for us to get along. For Laura.”

Carmilla raised a brow and looked uneasy to Perry. “We were never friends, really.”

“You are right. But, you have to agree with me, all that is happening with you and Laura can make anyone a little concerned. Or a lot.”

Carmilla placed her fork in the container. “I really wanted to know one thing, Ginger 2.” Perry lost her smile at the nickname. “Did I do something to piss you off?”

“Aside your manners…no.”

“So I don’t a see a reason for you to be so ‘concerned’ about me with Laura. And you cannot really argue about things happening fast or something like that. Not you.”

“I knew since the first day I met you that you wanted more than to be friends with Laura. And Laura was not in the best position to be in another relationship. Especially with someone who have a fame of sleeping around.”

“Oh, so that’s the reason! You are saying that I’m not good enough for Laura because I’m a slut!”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“That is exactly what you are saying.”

“Listen Carmilla, I’m just thinking about what is best for Laura.”

“Here we go again… I’m tired of your assumptions, Perry. And I don’t have to explain myself for you.”

“Carmilla-“

“You can judge me as much as you want, I don’t give a damn! I had it worse, you don’t scare me.” Carmilla stood up and reached for the door. It was locked. She turned and Perry was still sitting on her chair, not making a move to leave her place.

“Care to open the door for me?” Carmilla said in a harsh tone.

“We are not done.” Perry said looking back at her food and taking another bite.

“Yes, we are.” Carmilla ran her fingers on her hair. “Let me go.”

“It’s not very polite to leave this fine meal to go wasted.”

Carmilla let out a sarcastic laugh and crossed her arms, giving a few steps toward Perry “We are past this social conventions since the moment you started to accuse me.”

Perry looked at Carmilla again, motioning her mouth in a strange smile. “And why you let me?” She tilted her head to the side, displaying a genuine look of curiosity. “Why you never defended yourself?”

Carmilla raised her shoulders “I don’t own you anything. Not even the truth.”

“I’m your girlfriend’s best friend and business partner. You should have some consideration for me, don’t you think?”

“You didn’t give me the same courtesy, did you? And she is not my girlfriend anymore, she is my fiancée.”

“Because she proposed to you.”

“You are not making this any easy, Ginger 2.”

Perry snapped “Stop that! I never called you anything other than your given name.”

“Not directly. But… slut? And now… gold digger? What is next?”

“Carmilla!” Perry her two hands in a surrender gesture. She took a deep breath keeping her serious face. She stood up and approached her “Let’s focus on the real matter here. We can start this again, I didn’t set this up to make things worst with you. I’m sorry for making assumptions. I’m sorry for not being totally honest with you. I really care a lot about Laura, and since the day she broke up with Danny I see her in this rollercoaster of emotions and I just wanted to everything to go back to normal. That’s all I want! That Laura can be happy again and for good.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, giving a step further to Perry. She was about to say something hurtful. That’s all she wanted in that moment. To hurt Perry, to make her feel miserable for being so unfair. But then what?

 

She gave a step back, brushing nervously her hair, taking deep breaths. She knew if she hurt Perry, she would hurt Laura too. She could not hurt Laura. Not her, never her. She mentally counted to 10, visualizing Laura and her bright smile. Laura and her son. Their son. She took another deep breath, turning to Perry and giving another step in her direction. And then she finally saw the face of a concerned friend, who always did her best to take care of Laura, even if that meant to hurt other people in the process. Other people like her. She felt her heart accelerated, but she knew what to do.

 

“Fine.” She let out like the words was literally painful to say. “I’m sorry too. For the nicknames, not for the rest.”

“Fair enough.” Perry extended her hand waiting for Carmilla to shake it.

Carmilla looked uneasy, but took Perry’s hand anyway, giving it a firm shake.

“Alright then.” Perry nodded looking at the table. “Can we please finish the meal at least? It was kind of expensive.” She said kindly.

Carmilla shrugged. “Why not?”

They sat at their places again, the food got cold.

“Well, better to reheat a little bit.” Perry said sitting up and taking her container. Carmilla nodded to her and Perry got her food too, shoving them inside the microwave.

“Where did you get the ‘sleeping around’ thing?” Carmilla asked while they waited for the food to heat.

“It was some girl who works at this queer club and in one of our catering suppliers.” Perry answered by the microwave.

“So… through gossip.” Carmilla said pointedly.

Perry returned with their food placing them on the table. “Let’s not forget about the restart deal, Carmilla?”

“Sure.” Carmilla raised her shoulders again, taking some of her pasta. It was very good indeed.

 

**+++**

 

Laura got home at night and found Carmilla leaning on the kitchen sink, washing some dishes. Something caught her attention at the fridge and she noticed the baby’s ultrasound picture hanging by their chore chart. She smiled warmly.

“What are you doing?” She placed her purse on the island, walking until Carmilla, wrapping her arms around her and placing a kiss on her cheek. “You need to rest, Carm.”

“It’s just some dishes, Cupcake. I’m fine.” 

“We need to buy a dishwasher, ASAP!”

Carmilla finished the last dish and turned to face Laura, her hands still wet. “Agree.” She touched Laura’s cheeks, pulling her for a kiss.

“Hey!” Laura protested feeling the wet and cold hands on her. But it didn’t last long, cause the feeling of Carmilla’s lips on hers was enough to make her forget about it. “Sorry for turning you down on the last minute.”

Carmilla smiled and wrapped her arms around Laura. “It’s okay, I got a free meal from Perry.”

“Yeah, she was strangely in a good mood after your lunch date. What happened?”

“We talked about things...” Carmilla gave a peck on Laura.

“Things? What things?”

Carmilla smiled again “You know… things…” She gave another peck. Then another. Then she just kissed Laura deeply.

“Wow.” Laura said after the long kiss “That must have been a really good talk.”

Carmilla chuckled “It was ok.”

Laura licked her lips. “Well, I’ll take a shower, see you in bed.” She kissed Carmilla quickly, grabbing her ass and squeezing it for a second, before she left for the bathroom.

Carmilla rested her back on the sink and tried to think about something else that was not related to way Laura was touching her.

 

When they were both laying on the bed, Laura was reading a baby book and Carmilla had her head over Laura’s belly, moving her ear to different places.

“I think I hear something.” Carmilla said when she stopped above Laura’s navel. 

“Something like what?” Laura looked with a genuine curious face.

“I think…” Carmilla furrowed her eyes facing Laura, but not looking at her. “I think it’s…”

“What?”Laura raised her head from the pillow.

“He is saying for you to stop eating asparagus, he hates it.” She said looking at Laura with a serious face.

“Your silly girl.” Laura bunched up her face, throwing a pillow at Carmilla.

Carmilla laughed, taking the pillow and tuckering under her ribs. She placed her ear over the belly again “I’m really hearing something now, it’s serious. It’s like there is something boiling inside of you.”

Laura returned her attention to the book. “It’s probably my bowel movements.”

“It’s changing…” Carmilla slid her ear to Laura’s side. “What it’s going on in here?”

And suddenly a very loudly pop came from Laura’s bottom. Carmilla furrowed her eyes looking at Laura, who was making her best to hold her laugh.

“Did you fart?” Carmilla asked with widen eyes. “You did, didn’t you?”

Laura burst out a huge laugh, dropping her book somewhere in the bed. Carmilla climbed out the bed in record time, leaving in a sprint to the hall. She returned after a few seconds, peeking her head in the doorframe.

“It’s not smelling!” Laura said still laughing.

“I don’t know if I can trust you.” Carmilla narrowed her eyes, hiding the rest of her body in the hall.

“It’s just air.” Laura reassured her.

Carmilla walked slowly back to the room, her nose taking the lead. “Yep. That seems the case.” She climbed in the bed. “You scared me.”

“Don’t be such a child!”

Carmilla returned to her position over Laura’s belly. “Did you hear that, little guy? Of course you did, that probably sounds like an explosion from the inside, I fear for you.”

“Like you never farted.” Laura said with disdain. 

“I never fart.” 

“Yeah, you keep everything to yourself.” Laura took her book again.

“Have you heard me farting? I’m pretty sure I never did it in front of you.” Carmilla said with some pride.

“When you are sleeping.” Laura said casually.

“That doesn’t count.” She faced the belly again, patting it gently “I hope you have some kind of filter system inside there with you, little guy, cause you are on the front row of your mom’s rotten eggs parade.”

“Carmilla! Stop saying nasty things to our son.”

“I’m just being realistic, the kid needs to learn some true facts about life, it’s never too early to understand about farts. I’m bet he farts too.”

Laura looked displeased to Carmilla. “Why you had to say that? Damn it, now I’m curious.” She reached for her phone on the bedside table.

“I can’t believe you are going to google it.” Carmilla gave a kiss on the belly before she propped herself up, sitting by Laura’s side, peeking her phone screen.

“Oh, I found something about it… ‘Can Babies Fart in Utero? And 19 other embarrassing pregnancy questions answered’ let’s read this.” Laura was very enthusiastic.

After reading a part of the article, Laura twisted her features “Well, he can’t fart, but he can pee and hear everything ‘if you're gassy, the baby can hear that because they're so close to all your intestines’.” Laura dropped her phone on her lap “Argh, I don’ think I want to read that anymore. Ignorance is a blessing sometimes.”

Carmilla grabbed the phone and looked it up. “I want to.”

Laura laid down, pulling the sheets over her body. After a few minutes reading the piece Carmilla laid on the bed turning to Laura. “This explains a lot of things, Cupcake.”

“I said I don’t want to know.”

“Ok.” Carmilla extended her hand above Laura, returning the phone on the table. She cuddled Laura, kissing her neck. “I forgot to say that my boss called me today. He told me to take my vacations days after the end of the 2 weeks leave the doctor gave me.”

Laura turned to her. “So, this mean you are going to Minnesota with me?” She noticed that Carmilla had a sort of sad smile. “What is wrong?”

“He is probably going to fire me after those days. Kirsch said things are getting worst over there.” She brushed Laura’s arm. “But, yes, I can go with you.”

Laura kissed her, caressing Carmilla’s jaw “Don’t feel bad about that, if he fires you, I can help you find a new one, I know a lot of people in this town.” She traced her index and middle finger on Carmilla’s chest “And if you’re up to the task, you can work with us on the company, we need another assistant.”

Carmilla smiled “Are you trying to seduce me to a job, Ms Hollis?”

Laura giggled “It’s working?”

“The seduction part? Yes. The job part? No. I think it’s better if we do not mix those things.” She kissed Laura pulling her closer.

“Ok.” Laura brushed Carmilla’s hair. “But the offer it’s still up if you change your mind.”

“No, thank you. I’m sure of that.” Carmilla kissed her again and their nightly make out session was on.

 

**+++**

 

The rest of the week went smoothly. Mr Hollis send an email with the airplane tickets for Laura and Carmilla. Laura noticed some unusual behavior on Carmilla, while they were packing their things for a week out. Carmilla was twitching in the car the whole way to the airport. Perry and Lafontaine were giving them a ride.

 

After they said their goodbyes and best wishes for the trip, Carmilla was pushing the airport cart with their bags. Laura was by her side, with her arm tangled with Carmilla’s.

“It’s just me or are you nervous about this trip?” Laura asked casually to Carmilla.

“Just a bit.” Carmilla answered.

“Have you traveled in an airplane before?”

“No.”

“So, that’s explain.”

“Well, it’s not really normal for a thing that weight tons to just wander in the sky, it’s not!” Carmilla justified.

“Oh.” Laura made a face that was a mix of surprise and amusement “You’re not nervous, you are freaking scared!”

“Shut up!” Carmilla said defensibly.

They reached the end of the airline company line. Carmilla assumed her broody demeanor, Laura smiled like a happy child. “The big bad Carmilla Karnstein is afraid of airplanes.”

“This is not funny. If you were afraid of airplanes I would never mock you.”

“You totally would. Are you kidding me?”

“Would not.”

“What about all the spiders I’ve made you throw away? You mocked me every time!”

“That is no sense, I have a legitimate reason.”

“Legitimate reason? It’s the safest way to travel, everybody knows this.”

“If you say so.” Carmilla shrugged keeping her eyes looking forward.

Their arrived at the company desk and after handing their IDs, the attendant noticed Laura’s belly bump.

“Are you pregnant Miss Hollis?” She asked.

“Yes.” Laura looked concerned “Is there any problem flying pregnant?” She totally should had asked her doctor, but with all of the last minutes errands it never occurred to her.

“How long are you?”

Laura was mentally counting the weeks, yes the last days were really busy, but Carmilla went ahead. “20 weeks.”

“Hum… there is no problem. But after 36 weeks, or before 15, we don’t recommend the boarding of pregnant women on the airplanes.”

“Really?! Well, glad I’m not in these weeks.”

“Are you sure it’s safe?” Carmilla asked with a very concerned look.

“As safe as it can be.” She said with a gentle smile. “I will place you on a front row seat, this way you can have more space, you will be much more comfortable.”

“Thanks.” Laura said in a happy tone. She turned to Carmilla after getting their boarding tickets. “Those places are the best, I never got the front seat before.”

“Are you sure we can’t go driving? I don’t mind the distance.”

“It’s like a 3 days driven Carmilla. We don’t have that time, my father is selling the house soon, I have clients to take care of.”

“Alright.” She ruffled.

 

They went to security. Laura was stopped for the hand search, and Carmilla was not a bit pleased with the airport agent touching Laura. The woman was really suspicious about her belly bump.

“It’s just a baby, not a freaking weapon.” Carmilla mumbled under her breath.

The woman turned to Carmilla with a very serious gaze “What you just said?”

“Nothing.” Carmilla swallowed her pride keeping a straight position before the officer.

“You can go.” She said turning to Laura, then back to Carmilla. “Now I have to check you too.”

Carmilla got so mad and stiff that Laura was just hoping that nothing bad came out of that, to finally be able to laugh at Carmilla. After a very thorough and long search, Carmilla was dismissed.

 

They went to the restroom and while Carmilla was washing her hands, Laura stood by her side and fixed some loosen strands on Carmilla’s hair. 

“There you go, angry lady.” Laura said with a kiss on Carmilla’s cheek.

“She was groping you too much.”

An old lady were admiring then on the sink by Laura’s side.

“You two girls are so pretty!” She said turning to them.

“Thanks!” Laura said with a large smile.

“Are you sisters?” 

Carmilla peeked her head from behind Laura, facing the woman. “Sisters? We are not even alike.” She wrapped an arm around Laura’s shoulder.

“Well, best friends?” She suggested with a smile.

Laura laughed. “No. We are actually engaged.” Laura said shoving her hand in the woman’s face. “Isn’t pretty? Got from my fiancé here.”

The lady looked confused to both of them, frozen in place.

Carmilla shook her head and pulled Laura with her “Come on, gal pal.”

While Laura looked puzzled to the Lady, they left the restroom.

 

They sat on one of the long rows of seats on the boarding waiting area. Carmilla was twitching on her chair, while Laura was reading a magazine.

“How long it’s the flight?” Carmilla asked.

“5 hours, 40 minutes.” Laura kept her eyes on the magazine.

“They are going to be the longest 5 hours and 40 minutes of my life.” Carmilla pinched the bridge of her nose.

“And more 2 hours of car riding.”

She looked at Laura with widen eyes “Really? Damn, we should had sex in the apartment, I’m pretty sure I’d be a lot more relaxed now… at least.”

Laura closed the magazine and faced Carmilla “We waited this long, some few days won’t be this bad.” She shrugged.

“Few days?”

“We are not going to do it with my father in the house.”

Carmilla covered her face with both hands “Damn, Laura, I think I’ll have another heart problem.”

“Hey.” Laura nudged her. “They are calling our rows, let’s go.”

They stood up and grabbed their things. Yes, that was going to be a hell of a trip.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The infamous article  
> http://tinyurl.com/osg73bg
> 
> Also, in other news, I just updated my computer to windows 10 and I'm having a few problems with that, if I disappear for too long, you know the reason.


	21. Welcome to Minnesota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura and Carmilla are going to Minnesota, finding unexpected surprises in their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, there is a number of chapter for this fic to be over. I'll talk more about this in the end notes. Also, there is a lot of fluffy in this chapter.

**Chapter 21 – Welcome to Minnesota**

 

Carmilla was feeling like she was giving her last steps, as she walked in the narrow aisle from the boarding gate to the airplane. She barely noticed the flight attendants greeting her, she was just following Laura’s lead. If it wasn’t for Laura’s hands holding hers, she was not sure if she would have entered that box made of tin.

 

The front seats really did look less crowded than the rest of the airplane, Laura was right. But to be on the middle seat was not that nice. Laura got to be by the window and she was hoping for no one to be by her other side. After they placed their hand bags in the hand luggage compartment, she sat down and took deep breaths of air. A shadow, suddenly, covered her face and she turned to see a very tall man placing his bag in the compartment above her. _Oh, fuck._

 

He smiled at her taking the seat right by her left side. She cursed again under her breath, as more people was coming and taking their seats. The man’s arm was brushing her shoulder, as he fidgeted on his seat. Laura noticed her annoyed demeanor and touched her cheeks.

“Hey, love, we are going to be just fine.” She said with a soft voice on Carmilla’s ear.

Carmilla nodded but her expression was the same. Laura pulled her face gently. “Come here.” She said before she was kissing Carmilla tenderly.

 

They heard someone cleaning their throat, and as Carmilla turned her face, still holding Laura’s hand on her jaw, she noticed the distaste expression on her seat neighbor. She was about to say something to him, when a flight attendant called his attention.

“Sir, would you please show me your boarding ticket.”

“Sure.” He said shoving his hands on his suit pockets, his expression was turning to something else. “Wait a minute.” She raised him index finger to the attendant, while he kept searching his pockets.

 

Carmilla turned her attention to Laura, kissing her hand and holding it. The man finally found his ticket and handed it to the patient attendant.

“Sir, this is not your seat.” She said to him after reading the ticket.

“No?” He said with a fake confuse tone. “But…”

“Your seat is on the row 25, I’ll show you.” As she gestured to the aisle, she turned her head to the other side of the plane, calling another person.

 

Carmilla displayed a smug smile on her face to the man with a big frown, as he was taking his bag from the hand luggage compartment. After he left, another attendant came. He was guiding a little girl to take the seat next to Carmilla. She had short brown curly hair, dark skin and big curious eyes. The attendant put her bag on the compartment, but the girl was also carrying a small red bag over her left shoulder. She sat quietly on her seat, listening to other instructions from the attendant. And for a brief moment, Carmilla forgot she was on a plane. The attendant warned Carmilla that the girl was flying alone, and if she needed something, Carmilla should call any other attendant around.

 

Right after the attendant set the girl on her seat, they asked for everybody to fasten their seatbelts on the plane. Carmilla almost got into a fight with her belt, if wasn’t for Laura to adjust and fasten it for her. As the airplane started to move, she had her hands grasped at the armrest in a tight grip. Her right hand felt the warmth of Laura’s hand touching her again. Carmilla loosed the grip and reached Laura’s hand, intertwining their fingers. She closed her eyes, feeling the airplane running to take off. She felt a gentle kiss on her cheek. The strange sensation of the air pressuring over her, was not what she was expecting. She could feel her heart beating so fast as the day she passed out. She took more deep breaths and she waited. She took a quick look at the girl at her side, and noticed how she was calmed. She was not sure how much time had passed, when she felt Laura’s hand squeezing her and another kiss on her cheek.

“Worst part is gone.” Laura said after the plane was stable enough. Carmilla showed her a timid smile, as Laura took her hand and kissed it.

 

After another minutes in the air, Carmilla noticed how the little girl was craning her neck and tilting her head to the side to watch the window. She nudged Laura, who was reading her magazine. Laura nudged Carmilla back, gesturing her to talk to the girl.

“Hey…” she said in a polite tone. The girl looked at her. “What is your name?”

“Alex.” The girl answered.

“My name is Carmilla, and this lovely girl over here is Laura, nice to meet you.”

She nodded and waved to both of them. “Nice to meet you.”

“Alex, do you want to sit by the window? So you can see it more closely?” Carmilla asked.

Alex had a brief moment of content then she shrugged “I don’t know if I can.”

“Right.” Carmilla called an attendant and asked if the girl could switch places, and she got an ok.

Laura went to the aisle seat and Alex was happily by the window.

 

Carmilla inclined to Laura’s belly, brushing it lightly. “How are you hanging in there, little guy? I hope you are better than me.”

“Well, he is moving a little.” Laura said casually.

“Really? How you didn’t say that before, Cupcake?” Carmilla asked with a bigger smile than before.

“It’s nothing you can feel, really. He started to move a couple of weeks ago when I was taking a nap.” She pulled Carmilla’s hand and placed it over her belly “Can you feel anything?”

“Not really” Carmilla said a little disappointed. She placed her hands on other parts of the belly, but she got nothing.

“See? Is not a big deal. He will move more, eventually.”

As she was sitting up on her chair, Carmilla noticed Alex curious eyes over her. “You were talking to that woman’s belly?”

“Yes.” Carmilla said to her. “There is a baby growing in there.”

“Really?” The girl opened a bright smile. “That is so cool!”

Carmilla smiled back at her “Yeah? Want to talk with him too?”

“I can?” Alex said a little uneasy.

“Sure.” Laura said, giving a warm smile to the girl too.

 

Alex stood up, taking some steps towards Laura. She inclined to her belly. “Hi.” She said a little sheepishly. She was thinking about something else to say, when she turned to Carmilla. “It’s a boy or a girl?”

“It’s a boy.”

“What is his name?”

“We don’t know yet.” Laura answered. “But if you have a suggestion, you can tell us.”

“I’ll think about it.” She said rubbing her chin. “I don’t know what else to say.” She shrugged.

“Introduce yourself.” Carmilla suggested.

“Right. Hey baby, my name is Alex. I’m 7 years old and I from Minnesota.” She looked at Laura “Do you think he heard me?”

“Of course.”

Alex looked more curious to the belly “How you got a baby inside of you?”

“I… Well…” Laura was really taken aback by the question.

“It’s like a science experiment.” Carmilla answered. “There is other ways for a baby to born, but in this case, his mom here went to the doctor, and he put this…” She looked at Laura expectant.

“Seed.” Laura answered awkwardly “Yeah, it’s not really a seed, but a piece of another person, a man, so he, the baby can be created.”

“So you are his mother and this man is his father?” Alex concluded.

“Well, technically yes, but Carmilla here is his mom too.” She said placing her hand on Carmilla’s shoulder.

“You are?” She turned to Carmilla.

“Yes. We are engaged, which means that we are going to get married soon.” Carmilla was not sure how a child would react to the fact that 2 women were going to get married. She didn’t know anything about Alex background, but the same would happen with adults and the answer should always be the same. She could only hope that people would understand and respect her.

Alex smiled at the answer and then looked back to the belly intrigued “How long he is going to stay there?”

“Four months and a half.” Laura said.

Alex raised both eyebrows “That’s a long time.”

“In the mean time he will grow and getting stronger to finally born.” Laura explained.

Alex tilted her head to the side. “How will he come out of there?”

Laura looked with a strange smile to Carmilla and whispered in her ear “I don’t think we should say any more details about it, we are not her parents.”

“Right.” Carmilla said to her “Well, we don’t know that yet, Alex, we are waiting for an answer from the doctor.”

She seems satisfied with the answer and returned to her seat.

 

Another hour had passed and Carmilla was feeling a little more relaxed. Laura was taking a nap and Alex was opening her bag. She took a small doll and some plastic accessories. She turned to Carmilla.

“Hey, do want to play with me?”

“Sure.” Carmilla said. She was bored as one can be.

Alex took another doll from her bag and gave it to Carmilla. “Here, you can be Cindy, I’m Tara.”

“Okay.” Carmilla fixed her doll hair and clothing.

“Hi, Cindy, do you want to come to my house?” Alex asked holding her doll in front of Carmilla’s.

“Do you have something to eat, Tara? I’m starving, I could eat an entire restaurant.” Carmilla said back, holding the doll.

Alex giggled “Yes, I have a lot of food, Cindy, come inside.”

“Thanks.” Carmilla said making her doll walk in the air, following Tara.

“What do you want, Cindy? I have tea, coffee and some cookies.”

“Oh no, not coffee. It’s not good for you, trust me. I’ll take some tea and cookies, please.”

“Ok. Here, have some tea.” Alex said giving Carmilla’s doll an imaginary cup of tea. “And the cookies. I made them myself.”

“They looked delicious, thank you.”

Laura opened her eyes hearing the chitchat on her side. The scene melted her heart, forming a warm smile on her face.

 

**+++**

 

After 4 hours inside the airplane, Carmilla barely felt time passing by. As she walked to the aisle to go to the restroom, she saw the tall man who almost stole Alex seat. She held her will to show him her middle finger, noticing an old lady talking to him as he was trying to get some sleep. “Karma is a bitch”, she said under her breath, as she passed near his ear.

 

As she slid the restroom door, she cursed again at the sight of the tiny space for her to pee. Airplanes were not definitely made for tall and big people, Carmilla thought. And as she was washing her hands, after she juggled to use the toilet properly, a red light blinked inside of her stall.

“Ladies and gentleman, we are going to pass to a turbulence area, please stay on your seats until next warning. And keep your seatbelts fasted.” A voice announced.

“Shit.” Carmilla rapidly made her way back to her seat.

 

Laura was apprehensive, looking at Carmilla coming. She helped her with her seatbelt. Alex was sleeping, not even aware of what was happening. The plane started to shake, like it was a car riding over a bump road. Laura held Carmilla’s hand again, brushing her arm with her left hand. Carmilla held tightly on the arm rest with her other hand, and she closed her eyes again, taking a last look at Alex.

“How can she sleep in a moment like this?” She said quietly to Laura.

“I think it’s a good thing she is this brave, right?”

“Well… yes.”

Another strong motion shook the airplane and Carmilla really considered the option of praying. She felt a warm hand covering her right one, and as she opened her eyes to take a peek, she saw Alex’s hand over hers. Looking more to her right, she saw the girl giving her a half toothless smile.

 

**+++**

 

The ride on the airplane was getting to its end. The turbulence had ended a while back, Laura was napping, with her head rested over Carmilla’s shoulder, while Carmilla was brushing the back of her hand. Alex was calmly looking at the window.

“Everything looks so small from here.” She said leaning at the window. “The houses look like toys.”

“That would be fun, huh?” Carmilla commented. “If there were really toys.”

Alex gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, I think.”

Carmilla looked at Laura still sleeping, then she turned to the little girl again “Why are you traveling alone, Alex?”

She sighed and looked at Carmilla “I was staying with my dad for a few days, he lives in California. He and my mom are divorced.”

“That’s… sucks big time.”

She looked at the window again. “It’s ok, I think they are happy now. They were fighting a lot before. Not anymore. My father have a cool job in California, he said he could not have one like that in Minnesota. But my mom likes her job there too, so…” She looked at Carmilla again “I guess they needed to be in different places.”

Carmilla was surprised with the depth of emotional knowledge of the girl. She probably understood her parents better than them. “They are nice with you? Your parents?”

“Yes, they are. I love them very much.” She smiled timid.

“That’s good.” Carmilla ruffled Alex’s hair, making the girl smiling even more.

 

**+++**

 

As the airplane was about to land, Carmilla got concerned again, but this time she swallowed her fears a little, making more of a brave face to Alex. The landing was smooth and even Laura was happy about it. They said their goodbyes with tight hugs, and Alex said something in Carmilla’s ear that Laura didn’t hear. They left the airplane before the rest of the economic class, and Alex had to wait to be one of the last.

 

Laura went to the bathroom again, while Carmilla texted Mr Hollis saying that they just landed. Then they headed to the baggage carousel, where they waited forever for their bags. With bags piled on their cart, they head to the landing gates, finding a very smiling Mr Hollis waiting for them.

“How my girls are doing?” He said as he hugged Laura first. “And this little one here?” He said hutching before Laura’s belly.

“We are great dad, and so is he.” Laura said brushing her belly.

“He? It’s… a boy?” Mr Hollis said with widen eyes looking at Laura, Carmilla then back to the belly.

“Yes, dad, a boy! You are going to have a grandson!” Laura said with a very happy tone.

His confused face turned into a full smile. “Finally another boy in the Hollis family.” He said as he clumsy hugged Laura’s belly. “Not that wouldn’t love a girl, but I was just feeling a little bit alone being the only one.” He said apologetic.

Carmilla didn’t say a word yet, but she was overwhelmed by Laura’s dad feelings. He was basically treating her as she was part of the family. And he even didn’t know about the engagement yet.

He turned to Carmilla giving her a tight hug too. “What about you Carmilla, how my favorite daughter in law is doing?”

“Well, I’m just a step closer to be your official daughter in law.” Carmilla said as she was getting the best hug that man ever gave her.

“How come?” He said surprised as he looked back to her.

Carmilla extended to him her left hand. “Because your daughter proposed to me.”

He gave her an amused crooked smile, taking her hand “Really?” and looking at a very happy Carmilla he returned her the same smile “Are two trying to give a heart attack to this old man?”

“Dad!” Laura said slapping her father playfully. “Come on, give me another hug.” And in a clumsy hug, all three of them were celebrating the engagement warmly.

“Congratulations, my sweet girls, I wish all the happiness in the world for you.” Mr Hollis said, as they released from the hug.

 

The girls thanked him, and Mr Hollis took the initiative to push their bags cart. While Laura and Carmilla were walking holding hands by Mr Hollis side, Carmilla saw a certainly little girl hugging a woman, she imagined it was her mother. She nudged Laura to look at Alex, now taking the hand of the woman, a few feet away from them. Alex saw them too and she poked her mother, saying something to her. The woman looked at Laura and Carmilla, now leaving for a different direction, giving them a kind smile and a hand wave. Alex did the same, showing her toothless smile. They waved back, until the crowd of people passing blocked their view.

 

“What she said to you when we were leaving the airplane?” Laura asked Carmilla when they reached the sidewalk, heading to the parking lot.

“She told me she got a name for our little guy.”

“Really? And what name she suggested?”

Carmilla chuckled before the revelation “Muffin.”

Laura chuckled too, giving Carmilla a peck on her cheeks. “Our little Muffin Karnstein-Hollis.”

 

**+++**

 

Before the 2 hours of car riding, Mr Hollis took them to eat something at a local diner. The man was still in awe with the lasted news. When Laura left to go to the restroom, he raised a brow to Carmilla.

“I thought you would be the one to make the propose, kid.”

“I thought it too.” Carmilla said apologetically. “I even got the ring ready and everything, but I was afraid Laura would turn me down.”

“What happened?”

“Well I think you can call this miscommunication, in the end. But Laura did what I couldn’t. She opened the doors for us and she just… she saved me.” Carmilla sighed. “I love your daughter so much, Mr Hollis, you have no idea.”

He hummed lightly “I think I do, kid.” He smiled warmly to her. “You can call me John. Welcome to the family.”

“Thanks, Sir.” He looked with stern eyes to Carmilla. “I mean, John.” She corrected.

“What are you two talking about?” Laura asked as she reached the booth, sitting by Carmilla’s side.

“I want to know when the big day will be.” Mr Hollis said.

“Big day?” Laura repeated confused.

“Yep, the wedding day. You chose a date, right?” He looked at their confused faces. “No?”

“We didn’t talked about that yet, John.” Carmilla said, a little uneasy to call her father in law by his first name.

“But we will.” Laura said squeezing Carmilla’s hand under the table.

 

**+++**

 

The sun was almost set when they reached the Hollis household. Carmilla noticed that the house looked exactly the same as she saw in the picture hanging in their living room. Laura was feeling nostalgic, with a lot of other emotions in the mix. She found out it had been passed 5 years since the last time she was there visiting. She held the tears that were forming behind her eyes, while Carmilla and her father took care of the baggage.

 

The first thing that caught her attention, when she entered the house, was its smell. Nowhere in the world smelled like her house. It’s was a scent she could not describe, only recognized. Realizing that she would never feel that smell again after the next week, made her heart sank and the tears to finally spill.

“Are you alright?” Carmilla said brushing lightly her back.

“Yes, it’s just…” Laura said in her cracking voice. “It’s been a while.”

“I understand.” Carmilla said in her ear, kissing her temple.

“I’m going to take this to your bedroom, kiddo.” Mr Hollis said passing by them and taking the stairs.

“I can help you, Sir... I mean, John.” Carmilla said going after him.

“I got this, kid, make yourself home.” He said before disappearing on the top of stairs.

“Are you calling my father by his first name?” Laura said wiping her tears away.

“Well, he told me to. In the diner.” Carmilla shrugged approaching Laura again.

“He must really like you, Carmilla Karnstein.” Laura said touching Carmilla’s jaw and pulling her for a kiss.

“Oh, yeah?” Carmilla was smiling like a goofy.

Laura smiled back “Yeah, he never said that to any of my girlfriends.”

Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura’s waist “Really?” Laura nodded. “Well, I feel honored, Laura soon to be Karnstein-Hollis.”

“Hey there!” A voice said coming from the door. The couple turned to find a middle age woman with blond-grayish hair waving by the entrance.

“Mrs Lavigne? Hi.” Laura said a little bit sheepish.

“Little Laura, what a lovely surprise! How are you?” The woman said propping her hands on her waist.

“I’m good, really good.” Laura said pulling Carmilla’s hand and approaching the woman.

“And who is this pretty lady?” She said looking at Carmilla.

“This is my fiancé, Carmilla.”

“Nice to meet you.” Carmilla said extending her hand. 

“Give me a hug, you are practically family, kid.” The woman said pulling a very surprised Carmilla to a hug.

 

After more questions and comments the woman noticed Laura’s belly and another round of questions and wonders came, giving Carmilla the wish to just run to Laura’s bedroom and hid from all of that. She just hated all of that social conventions, especially with strangers.

After what it seems like forever, the woman left, and Laura turned to Carmilla with an apologetic smile. “Welcome to Minnesota, Carm.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Carmilla finally made it to the bedroom. The place had white walls with all sorts of posters and a note board with some pictures and small pieces of paper.

“Spice Girls, Cupcake.” Carmilla said in a teasing tone. “You really love cheese pop.”

Laura bunched up her face “It could be worst. It could be the Backstreet Boys.” She crossed her arms.

“Not a tiny gay Cupcake like you.” Carmilla said hugging Laura by her back. She placed a few kissed on her neck. “I bet you also had some hidden episodes of The L Word on your computer.”

“How do you know that? Did my father say something?” She looked panicked to Carmilla.

“You are so easy.” Carmilla chuckled kissing her again.

“And you love to embarrass me.” Laura pouted.

“There is literally nobody else in here to make you feel embarrassed.”

“Ok, you got me there, but you made me worry anyway.” She climbed on her bed. “I’m going to take a decent nap. Want to join me?”

“Of course.”

 

**+++**

 

They woke up later and while Laura was taking a shower, Carmilla was helping Mr Hollis with dinner. He didn’t waste time telling more embarrassing stories about Laura, for Carmilla’s amusement. Laura realized that the people who most loved her also loved to embarrass her. She wondered if her unborn son would do the same. She hoped it would not be the case.

 

When they went upstairs to sleep, Laura discussed her plans for the week. Carmilla went to take a shower, while Laura was digging in her dresser, looking for any forgotten love note from her first girlfriend. She knew she probably left some of them behind, but she was not sure where. Danny never came with her, so she never really cared about it. She found one folded notebook sheet, and while she was reading it, Carmilla entered the room, brushing a towel to dry her hair. Laura was startled by Carmilla’s presence.

“Are you ok, Cupcake?” Carmilla said coming wrapped up in only a towel.

“Yes!” She said tucking the note back on her drawer.

Carmilla sat down on the bed, still brushing her hair. “What you were reading?”

“Nothing.” Laura closed the drawer and noticed an almost naked Carmilla on her bed. “Just an old silly note from school.”

“It was from your ex-girlfriend?” Carmilla asked in a casual tone.

“Yes…” Laura turned to the drawer again. “Do you want to see it?”

Carmilla shrugged “Only if it’s very corny.”

“What do you think?” She looked at the bags. “Do you want me to take something for you to sleep?”

Carmilla shrugged. “If you insist. I rather sleep with nothing, really.”

Laura scooped Carmilla’s bag “And I rather you’d stop with the flirting.” She took a shorts and a tank top, tossing them to Carmilla. “Here, Lady Killer.”

Carmilla raised one brow with the clothes in hand “No underwear? I think your unconscious wants me to be naked.”

“Ha-ha.” Laura said dryly. She took a bra and panties, tossing them to Carmilla.

Carmilla took the panties leaving her towel and bra on the floor, as she got dressed. Laura diverted her eyes to the bag. She could not remember the last time she saw Carmilla naked and it was not under life threatening circumstances. Carmilla was taking forever, so Laura stood up, keeping her eyes on the floor, as she reached the bed. She made herself comfortable under the covers.

“What about your love letter? Have you changed your mind?”

Laura rolled her eyes. “No. It’s in the dresser, you can take there if you want.”

“Of course I want.” Carmilla stoop up, going to the dresser and scooping the drawer Laura was looking before. She found the crumpled paper and took it with her, sitting on the bed next to Laura. “Let’s see what we have in here.”

She cleaned her throat using a high pitchy tone on her voice as she spoke. “Dear Laura, I know you think I’m probably silly or something, but I can’t deny that anymore. I never felt what I feel about you to anyone before. Not even a boy. Believe me when I say that I like you. Yours forever, Kirsten.”

Carmilla cleaned her throat again, using then her normal voice. “Yep, little Kirsten could not keep her promise, huh? Good for me.”

“Well, we lasted until graduation. I went to Silas and her to Minnesota State.”

“What happened with her then?”

“Have no idea, never saw her again.”

“Was she pretty? How she looked like?”

“I know what you are doing, Carm. Haha, I get it I’m curious and you want to bug me like I bugged you.”

“No, I’m really curious. I’ve already seen Danny, more than I wanted, but this girl is still a mystery. Just want to know you if have a type.”

“I don’t think you can say that. Kirsten was blond.”

“So, a blond, a ginger and a brunet, I think you got more different types than me.”

“I don’t think that it’s possible.”

Carmilla dropped the note on the floor, noticing the annoyance in Laura’s voice. She laid on the bed, wrapping her arms around Laura. After a few seconds Laura turned to Carmilla.  
“This is not working.”

“What?” Carmilla said confused removing her arms from Laura.

“This old bed and the lack of pillows.” She turned to her side again tucking a pillow between her legs.

“Here, take my pillow.” Carmilla handed Laura her only pillow.

“You don’t have to give me your pillow.” 

“You can have it, I-“

“Will wake up with a terrible pain in your body.” Laura said like it was obvious.

“Don’t you father have more?”

“There is a closet in the hall, but I think most of things are already in boxes.”

“I’ll check it out.” Carmilla stood up, going to hall and finding an empty closet. She could hear the load sound of Mr Hollis snoring in his room.

She returned with light steps, closing the door behind her. “Yep, there is nothing there.” She looked at Laura’s dresser “Maybe we can arrange something with a sheet or a duvet.”

“If there is something here, but I don’t think so.”

Carmilla looked in every drawer and found nothing, just some small pieces of clothing.

“I have an idea.” Laura said gesturing for Carmilla to come to the bed.

 

Laura fluffed Carmilla’s pillow by her side, inviting Carmilla to lay in there. After Carmilla laid on her back, Laura snuggle by her side, taking her own pillow and adjusting it under her back. She raised her left leg over Carmilla’s waist, brushing her center in the process. Carmilla gulped dry as she ignored the sensation Laura’s leg were urging in her.

“I think I got it.” Laura said resting her head over Carmilla’s chest. “Do you feel comfortable in this position, or I am too much on top of you?”

“It’s fine, Cupcake.” Carmilla said giving a chaste kiss on Laura’s temple and brushing her back. “I don’t mind in been your human pillow.”

“The best pillow ever.” Laura said smiling in Carmilla’s chest. “Goodnight, Carm.”

“Goodnight, Cupcake.”

 

Carmilla was not sure how much time had passed when she felt something moving on her side. She opened her eyes and could barely see Laura on the darkness of her room, but she could feel her, in the same position as they felt asleep. She extended her hand to the source of the twitchiness and touched Laura’s belly above hers. Her little guy was moving. She smiled kindly.

“Hey, Cupcake, he is moving.” She said nudging Laura lightly. She noticed that after she spoke, he was moving even more. Laura was sounding asleep.

Carmilla moved her hand feeling all the parts of the belly, finding a place where his movement was more perceptive. “Hey little guy, it’s me your mom number 2 here.” She chuckled. “Well, I think we need to find a better name for you to call me, huh?” She felt him moving again under her hand.

“Mommy.” Laura said with a very sleepy voice, snuggling further in Carmilla’s chest. “He can call you Mommy.”

“Mommy.” Carmilla repeated, feeling her heart whole, like she never felt before.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The number 35 is a prediction, can have more or less than that, but basically this is the plan for now. I have plans to make a part 2 of this story, so I need your opinion so I can plan in advance how to assemble the next part (well I'm all about planning ahead). I want to know:
> 
> 1 - What is your favorite part of this fic (fluff, smut, a little of both, more one than the other)? Whatever it is, tell me.  
> 2 - Favorite day of the week for updates.  
> 3 - Any other thing you think it's important.
> 
> Some people love the fluff, but they are not a fan of the smut. Some love the smut and the fluff, so my idea for the next part is to make the main story with mature rating and have another work with the smut scenes apart. What do you think about that? It can work, I don't know.
> 
> You can answer these questions here on the comments, or my tumblr.  
> theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com 
> 
> I know many of you read my story but don't say a word about it. I understand that sometimes you don't like/want to write a feedback for reasons, but in this case, more than ever, I really need your opinion, for the sake of this series future. And thanks again for all the support (via comments or kudos, it's all very lovely).


	22. Crazy For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura is reunited with someone from her past and Carmilla gets a fun surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO MUCH for all the feedback I got in the last 48 hours. You are so amazing and I'm so lucky to have readers like you. I love to have comments in every chapter, but if you leave one once in a while will make my day too and help me to guide this ship.
> 
> And celebrating the 2 episodes of Season zero, here a very expected chapter for you!

**Chapter 22 – Crazy For You**

 

On the next morning, after the sweet moment in the middle of the night, Laura woke up in a great mood. She left Carmilla sleeping in the bed and went with her father to the only supermarket in the town. They needed to get some food for the rest of the last week in their house. Laura was telling to her father about the airplane trip, including Carmilla’s fear of flying and the kind girl that was traveling alone by their side. Laura could not remember the last time she had a moment like that with her father, just talking about casual things. 

“Kiddo, I’m going to play bowling with the boys tonight, so don’t wait for me to be home early.”

“Okay.” Laura said looking for a new pillow. She loved to basically sleep on top of Carmilla, but she knew that that could not be good for Carmilla, as much as she said it was fine.

“And we going to get some drinks later, but don’t worry, Charlie will be taking me and one of the rookies will be our designated driver for our way back.”

“I know you are very responsible, dad. You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

Laura suddenly realized she was going to get the house just for herself and Carmilla. For an entire night.

“Dad, I’m going to get some things for me in the lady aisle, can we meet in the checkout?”

“Sure.” He said pushing the cart away.

 

Laura took a basket and got all she needed for a very special night with Carmilla. After more than 2 weeks just touching herself, she was done waiting. And as the days had progressed, Carmilla was looking ever hotter on her eyes. That was not fair at all.

 

Walking down on the electronic aisle, she noticed a familiar face behind a glass counter. For a moment she was not sure if that was the same person. She approached the face she didn’t see in ten years and confirmed her suspicious. It was Kirsten, her first girlfriend. She was wearing business attire, talking with another employee of the market. As soon as she saw Laura approaching, she displayed a discreet smile.

“Kirsten? It’s really you?” Laura said opening big eyes.

“Laura Hollis, what a surprise!” Kirsten came from the other side of the counter and hugged Laura properly. She noticed her pregnant belly right away. “Are you carrying a little bun in the oven?”

“Yes, I am.” Laura said proudly. “Almost 5 months, now.”

Kirsten noticed Laura’s ring too “And you are married.” She concluded. “Well, I am too.”

“Not quite yet. But I’ll be very soon. I’m engaged.”

“You know, marriage is hard, but I’m sure you are going to love it.” She took her phone and showed Laura a picture of a man and 2 little girls. “This is Chad, and our twins, Rachel and Tiffany.”

Laura looked with widen eyes at the picture. “You married a man.” She said not really thinking about her words. “I mean, there is no problem about it, I just thought you were gay.”

Kirsten made an affected hand gesture. “Oh, that was just a phase, my dear. After I met Chad in college I realized that.”

“Oh.” Laura said a little uneasy. “You seem very happy, so this is good.” She said in her high pitch voice.

“And what about you? Did you keep dating girls after all these years?”

“Exclusive.” Laura nodded. “My fiancé it’s a girl… or better saying, a woman.”

“She came in town with you? By the way, what are doing in here? Aren’t you living in California?”

“Yes, I am. And yes she is. We got in town last night, it was a long and exhausting trip, I let her sleeping a little more.” She chuckled. “I’m in town cause my father is moving, and I need to take some of my things before he sells the house, and Carmilla, my fiancé, is visiting Minnesota for the first time.”

She raised a brow “Carmilla, interesting name. Now I’m curious.”

“I have pictures too.” Laura saying scooping her phone to show Kirsten the pictures she took with Carmilla in the park. “Here she is.”

“She is gorgeous! She looks like a model, Laura.”

Laura giggled “Well… can’t disagree with you.”

Laura chatted with Kirsten for a while. She talked about her job as a wedding planner and Kirsten said she was the manager of the store, it belonged to her parents. They ran out of topics and Laura gave her another hug before meeting her worried father by the checkout. He forgave her, after hearing the encounter Laura just had.

 

**+++**

 

Laura and Mr Hollis entered the house carrying some grocery bags. Carmilla was sat on an armchair in the living room with Laura’s laptop on her lap. She ran to help Laura with her bags, taking things to the kitchen. Laura took one the bags with her, giving Carmilla a peck, before she went upstairs.

 

She returned to living room, finding Carmilla back on the armchair. Her father peek in the doorframe saying her was going to get some pizzas. He left after they made their requests and Laura sat on Carmilla’s lap, placing the laptop on the coffee table.

“Why did you look so serious looking at your computer when I got home?” She was running her fingers in Carmilla’s hair.

Carmilla sighed “I was just… thinking about things I should not.”

“Things like what?”

“About the baby. I know it doesn’t matter but… I got myself imagining like he would be and I have no idea. I know you, but I don’t know anything about the donor.”

“There is nothing wrong in wondering about these things.” Laura kissed her temple “You are his mother too, you have the right to know.” She looked at her laptop on the coffee table extending her hand to take it, while Carmilla was holding her firmly on her lap.

“But I feel like a moron thinking about this. I love him no matter what, I shouldn’t care about this.”

 

Laura typed the cryobank site on her computer. She realized her dad used the same password she setup in his wireless connection 5 years ago. She logged on her account, browsing in her option of donor. When the page was fully loaded she turned the screen to Carmilla.

“This is our baby biologic father profile. Besides his bio, there are some pictures of him as a baby and as a child.”

Carmilla was feeling apprehensive as she was scrolling the page. She read the donor bio. He was a smart guy, like she imagined Laura would choose. But she found something interesting in his hobbies list. She giggled lightly.

“What?”Laura said paying attention on Carmilla’s reaction as she read the page.

“He likes to assemble ship models.” She said amused. Laura almost thought that Carmilla was about to make a joke. “I used to do that with my father, when I was a kid.”

“Really? Didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. Maybe I can start this again with our little one.” She patted Laura’s belly gently.

“It’s a good idea, Carm.”

 

Carmilla was scrolling down for more information, until she saw pictures of the guy. Red hair, blue eyes, pale as a ghost. She remembered another fact she didn’t want to. Danny asked if Laura used the donor she chose. Laura was evasive, but maybe it was better if she let things like that. It really didn’t matter anymore.

“Well, yes there is a possibility for him to have red hair and blue eyes… like my father, or his father, but if-“

“Laura I told, it doesn’t matter. I was imagining you chose a donor who would look like Danny. That’s what most people do. They try to find a half way to mix their features, and if our kid it’s a ginger, I’m going to love him anyway. Okay?”

Laura nodded smiling with tight lips. “Ok.”

Carmilla kissed her gently, as Mr Hollis returned with their pizzas.

 

**+++**

 

After the lunch, Laura invited Carmilla to take a walk around her town. The weather was a little better than in California, less dry and hot. They found more neighbors with more questions and small talk, on their way. They took some pictures in the main street, making funny poses with the founder’s statues.

 

“I don’t how you could live in Smallville for so long, Cupcake.” Carmilla said as she was throwing some rocks a big lake by Laura’s house.

“How many times I have to say it’s Creekville?” Laura said shoving Carmilla’s shoulder. 

Carmilla chuckled “It’s basically the same.” 

“It’s so nice and quiet in here, how can you not enjoy this?” Laura made a gesture to all the green surrounding them.

Carmilla took another rock from the ground and throw it, making small waves on the water “That’s a good thing, really. But downtown was basically a street. And everybody knows you, isn’t that weird?”

“How can this be weird?” Laura sat on a tree lumber a few feet from the water.

Carmilla turned to her “You can’t be anonymous, everybody is poking your life, they want to know where did you go or what have you done… Are you seriously saying you don’t mind that at all?”

“Well, sometimes that’s annoying, but I don’t really mind. They really care about you. You’re not just another random person in a crowded big city. I like this feeling of community.”

Carmilla sat by her side, Laura snuggled in her. “It’s been a long time since I don’t know how that’s feel like. Its look suffocated.”

“It can be sometimes. Especially with a father like mine. But I’m used to where we live now. I would not trade that to be here again.”

“I really can’t see myself living in a place like this. And by the way I’ve seen the locals, you and your ex were probably the only members of the queer community in here.”

“You are almost right about this. Cause yes, I didn’t find any other gay kid in my school, I think most of them were in the closet, and people here are more open mind than you think, and apparently Kirsten is not gay anymore.”

“How do you know that?”

“I ran into her this morning in the supermarket. She works there, well her parents own the place and she is the manager, but more important: she married a guy named Chad and has twin girls.”

Carmilla laughed “So, not so gay in the end.”

“Or nothing gay. She said it was just a phase, but I can’t believe, really.” Laura furrow her brows.

“And why do you say that?”

“Kirsten was gayer than me, you should see how she looked at the girls in gym classes. I’m 100% sure she is not straight.”

“Well, maybe she changed.” Carmilla shrugged. “Who knows?”

Laura looked at her watch. “Let’s go home, I want to show you something.”

 

They entered the house and Mr Hollis was getting his things to play bowling. Laura went to take a shower and after she was done, she pushed Carmilla to the bathroom, saying for her to take a shower too, while she would take “the thing” she said she would show her. Carmilla was clueless of Laura’s plan and didn’t see Mr Hollis leaving with his friends for the night out.

 

Laura was giggling all around the house, as she made her happy dance before she returned upstairs to let everything in place.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla entered the room only wearing a towel and a shower cap on her head. She found an alarming numbers of candles lighted on the bedroom. There was 3 on each bedside table, 5 over the dresser and 4 on the studying desk. The door of the closet was open and Laura came from there, with a very seductive gaze, wearing only a very see-through white nightdress.

 

“What is going on?” Carmilla asked with suspicious eyes.

Laura approached her, opening a smile, placing her hands on Carmilla’s shoulder. “What do you think, Lady Killer?”

“Is that what you wanted to show me? How to burn the house?” She chuckled.

Laura rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to be romantic, but you are not helping me here.”

“But… what about your father and all of that crap about him listening to us?”

Laura slid her hands on Carmilla’s back, settling them on her waist, bringing her a little closer. “He is out.” She finally touched her body on Carmilla’s. “Went to play bowling with his friends from work. And, they are going to take him to a bar right after, so I think we have a lot of time alone, in this house.”

As Carmilla was registering the new information, her face was turning into a smirk. “But, what if another neighbor comes to greet you?”

“We pretend that we are not home.” She inclined her head, giving a light peck in Carmilla and taking her plastic shower cap, making Carmilla’s dark hair fall down on her bare shoulder.

Carmilla closed her eyes for a second, absorbing the idea “So you are saying to me that, we have hours and hours to do whatever we want?”

Laura nodded slowly. “And guess what I want to do?”

Carmilla curved down her mouth in a clueless smile “I have no idea, you need to be more specific.”

“Just stay here.” Laura saying giving another quick peck, but this time on Carmilla’s nose. “And don’t you dare dress yourself in something else there is not this towel.” She went to her dresser and hit play in a small stereo. The song “Crazy for You” from Madonna started to play.

 

Carmilla smiled as Laura approached her again, she took Carmilla’s hand and kissed, before she went for her neck, leaving gentle kisses down her shoulder. Carmilla inclined her head, closing her eyes and just enjoying the moment. Laura made the way up, kissing her slowing, as her left hand was caressing Carmilla’s nape. She reached her jaw, letting a trail until Carmilla’s mouth. Their lips met like they were separated for ages. Laura was dictating the pace, brushing her tongue in Carmilla’s lips, then inside her mouth, gently and slowly caressing Carmilla’s tongue, countless times, as Carmilla’s was keeping her pace, raising her hands to touch Laura’s cheeks.

 

As Carmilla was brushing her cheeks with her thumbs, Laura bit her lower lip, and pulling it until she could not hold her smile anymore. She opened her eyes and face Carmilla again, as the music progressed and she lip-synced the lyrics.

 

_I'm crazy for you_  
_Touch me once and you'll know it's true_  
_I never wanted anyone like this_  
_It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss_  
_I'm crazy for you, crazy for you_

 

Carmilla chuckled as she kissed Laura after the chorus, feeling butterflies invading her stomach. Laura tugged in her towel around her waist, pulling it to the floor, as she was pushing Carmilla towards the bed. Carmilla’s shin found the bed, and she sat down, bringing Laura to her lap. They separated their kiss to smile at each other. They waited so long for that moment that it didn’t look real yet. Especially with all of that candles making the place so cozy.

 

Carmilla gently pulled Laura’s nightdress up, by her waist. Laura raised her arms, facilitating the process. They were looking at each other’s bare skins, as it was the first time. Carmilla felt Laura’s belly a little bigger than the last time they had been in that same position, and she was trying not to think how they would manage to move in bed. Laura was taking the lead, so she should not worry so much. They kissed again and Laura started to move her hips, as she was holding in Carmilla’s shoulder. Carmilla grabbed her thighs, helping Laura with the movement.

 

Laura stopped after she looked down at where their hips met. “Carm, can you lay upper in the bed?” She said in Carmilla’s ears.

“Sure.” Carmilla said as Laura was leaving her lap and sat by her side.

When Carmilla was laying in the middle on the bed, Laura climbed her, kissing her neck again, until she reached her pulse point, where she sucked and nipped the skin with fervor. Carmilla didn’t mind is she was getting a mark. Laura’s right hand was making its way to Carmilla center, finding her clit already hard and wet. She started to make round movement, rubbing the clit, feeling Carmilla melting with her touch. She was kissing Carmilla’s lips again when she felt Carmilla trembling. She stopped her movements, placing her ear nervously over Carmilla’s heart.

“Laura?” Carmilla raised her head trying to look at Laura’s face. “Laura…what…”

Laura turned up, looking at Carmilla again. She had tears in her eyes. “Are you ok, Carm?”

“Of course I’m ok.” Carmilla said touching Laura’s face. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Of course I’m worry about you.” Laura was shedding some tears.

Carmilla sat up, lifting Laura with her. She pulled her fiancé face and kissed her kindly. “I’m okay, we can do this.”

“I’m scared Carmilla.” Laura sniffed. “The last time we had sex, you almost die.”

“Laura, there are more chances for me to die if we don’t have sex, than if we do.” She chuckled lighting the mood. “And I’m scared too, but for another reason.”

Laura wiped her eyes, looking more attentive to Carmilla “What reason?”

“Well, the last time I touched you, you had the best orgasm of your life. I don’t know if I can top that ever.”

Laura giggled, letting out some of the tension that was building in her. “That was the most intense orgasm I have ever had in my life, yes… and in that moment I thought it was the best, and even though I say that a lot, it was not really.” She looked more serious. “Cause it was not 100% you, so… it can’t never be the best.”

Carmilla smiled pulling her for a kiss. “So”, she said licking her lips. “Let’s start this again and forget about our fears?”

Laura smiled timid “Agree.”

“And, if something out of the ordinary happens to me, I promise you I’ll say something.”

“You better.” Laura kissed her again, pushing her back to the bed.

 

When Carmilla was laying on her back again, Laura kept sat in the middle of the bed. She touched Carmilla’s stomach, feeling the muscles the missed so much. “Carm?” Carmilla looked at her eyes. “Can you roll for me?”

Carmilla nodded rolling to her stomach. She turned her head to the side. “Like that?”

“Perfect.” Laura said as she reached Carmilla’s left calf, trailing kisses on every inch of skin. She brushed Carmilla’s knees with the tips of her fingers, as she kissed the back on them, getting out some moans from Carmilla. She shifted her position, straddling Carmilla’s back and reaching for her other leg, doing the same. Her trail of kisses was getting down on Carmilla’s leg. All she wanted was to feel and to touch every part of Carmilla, every part of her body she missed so much. She kissed the back of her thighs, brushing lightly with the tip of her teeth the sensitive skin. Carmilla was reacting the way she wanted, with small moans and spasms. Laura was smiling against her skin, taking the flowering scent of her soap. She got out of Carmilla’s back, pulling her hips, indicating for Carmilla to roll back to her previous position.

 

Carmilla was already lost in her craving, looking at Laura with lusting eyes. Laura gave Carmilla her best smirking, as she straddled her again, facing her feet. She dive her head in Carmilla’s thigh, leaving open mouth kisses, trailing down her leg, until she reached her very soaked center. Carmilla let out a sharp moan, but Laura returned her kisses to the other leg, from her knee to her thigh, again. Carmilla was grasping in the sheets, whimpering in anticipation of the feeling she knew she was going to get.

 

Laura kissed Carmilla’s entrance, her folds and finally her clit. She brushed her tongue over it, like she did when she was kissing Carmilla as when Madonna was singing for them. Carmilla opened her eyes, catching Laura’s hip very closer to her face. She released the sheets and grabbed Laura’s thighs, pulling her hips to her face. Laura was not expecting that. It was just amazing. She was tasting Carmilla at the same time Carmilla was tasting her. Why they never did that before?

 

Carmilla was in awe. She recognized every curve and every bit of Laura’s center, and she was feeling so good touching that familiar place again, tasting every drop of her natural lube. Laura was overwhelmed with the sensations, she was almost losing control of her moves, as Carmilla was making her feel so good. She took advantage of the new position and introduced her tongue deep in Carmilla, making her fiancé slower her movements down on her. After Carmilla returned to a more sane state, she rushed her longue on Laura, like she knew Laura could not resist. They were both in a battle to see who was going to make to other come first.

 

But Laura had the advantage, so Carmilla was the first one to crash in oblivion. Her body was light like a cloud, and she felt her limbs relaxing like she hadn’t felt in weeks. Laura escaped from her grip, returning to reach her mouth, mixing their flavors in a hot and very wet kiss.

 

“Dear lord, Cupcake… fuck…” was Carmilla first words.

“Was it good?” Laura asked, hovering by her neck, laying more wet kisses.

“It was… fantastic…” She looked down at Laura “And tasting you at the same time… wow, we need to 69 more often.”

Laura was flushing deeply. “I didn’t exactly plan that...” 

“But it was perfect, just a perfect comeback after all these days.” She took another deep breath “Did you like it?”

“I loved it.” Laura said kissing her again, tasting a vestige of herself. “Have you done it before?”

“Yeah, but it was never amazing like this.” She looked down to Laura. “Nothing that I did before you can ever be better of what we have now. Ever.”

Laura smiled hugging her. “And…” She looked apprehensive again. “How is your heart?”

“In its right place.” She kissed Laura’s forehead, rolling her to the side and switching positions.

 

She smiled with her full smirk to Laura, placing a kiss between her breasts, then tracing a few kisses to left nipple. Laura let out a nervous whimper. Carmilla remembered to be extra gentle to her swollen boobs. With the tip of her tongue she traced the outline of her areola twice, eliciting a high pitch moan from Laura. She smiled with her stunt, gently pressing her lips in the nipple, tugging it a bit. She pushed her warm tongue, circling the nipple and sucking just enough to make Laura let out a loud breath of air. She did the same routine with the other boob, while her thumb was caressing the first. Laura hands, that were grasping the sheets, moved to her hips, pulling her for some contact where she needed the most.

Carmilla got the message, placing a knee between Laura’s leg, grinding her lightly. Laura started to rock her hips against Carmilla. While Carmilla’s mouth was taking Laura’s smooth skin, her thigh was feeling her wet folds in friction. She brushed her nose on Laura’s breasts, licking and massaging every other inch of skin. And all of that just felt amazing.

“This is so good, Carm, so good.” Laura said with a cracking voice, lost in all the insane feelings Carmilla was giving to her. For the first time in a long time, she was not aiming to come, just to enjoy all of those sensations, not worrying if she would reach her peak or not.

“Yeah?” Carmilla say looking to her. Laura just hummed agreeing. “Do you want keep this pace a little more?”

 

Laura hummed again. Carmilla stretched up, leaving open mouth kisses on Laura’s neck, trailing up to her ear. She nipped and sucked her earlobe, while her hips were matching Laura’s motions. She kissed her jaw until reached her mouth. She brushed her cheeks with her right hand, pulling her lower lip with her thumb, opening Laura’s moth to kiss her deeply.

Laura was feeling in heaven with Carmilla’s weigh over her, her warmth irradiating on the contact her craved for so long. Skin on skin, smooth and so soft. Her breathless kiss was a bonus, a very good bonus. And above all of that was the love, the love that grew with every moment they shared since the first time they laid eyes on each other. A love that she didn’t notice in the begging, a love that she tried to deny for too long. And now, was just taking every part of her body and mind, ingrown in her soul.

 

“I love you so much, Carm.” Laura said between moans and panting.

“I love you too, my sweet Cupcacke.” Carmilla said in her mouth, between kisses.

 

Carmilla felt it was time for the next part. She mover her leg to the side, extending her hand to Laura’s center, brushing her clit, keeping the same pace. She felt that is was not enough, so she hunched down on Laura’s leg. Her index finger traced Laura’s folds, teasing her entrance. 

Carmilla approached with her mouth, touching Laura’s clit for the second time with her tongue in that night. Laura let out shameless moans, as Carmilla introduced one finger, feeling a rush with the sensation of Laura’s walls against her finger. She missed that too, so much. She worked with her fingers, her mouth and tongue, making her best to take Laura to the moon. She also missed the sounds Laura would make as she was coming. It was intense and long. And Carmilla loved it.

 

While Laura was recovering from her bliss, Carmilla returned to her side, licking her own lips. “I didn’t even notice when the music was over.” She said snuggling in Laura’s side. “And didn’t notice the extra pillows until now.”

“I got them today.” Laura said after another deep breath. She was feeling so relaxing, like none masturbation could make her. She touched her belly and Carmilla raised a brow.

“Is he moving?”

“No, he is not.” She turned to her side, facing Carmilla. She couldn’t lay on her back for too long. “He usually moves… when I’m still for a while.”

Carmilla took some pillows and placed them under Laura, on places she knew it was best for her comfort.

“Thanks.” Laura said still panting a little. “That was incredible… the way you were touching me, I felt… so wanted and loved…”

Carmilla snuggled further in her, giving a kiss on her forehead. “That’s because you are my life, Laura.” She brushed Laura’s hair, bringing her head closer to her chest.

“I want to do more, but I need to breathe a little.”

“You don’t have do to anything if are you not feeling up to.”

“Carmilla, we’ve been 2 weeks and a half without sex… this is like a record in our relationship.” She placed her fingers on Carmilla’s side, above her ribs, brushing soft patterns. “I’m still craving for you… if it was possible I would make love to you every day.”

“Well, we kind of did in the beginning. We just stopped because of the circumstances, not because we didn’t want.”

“I know but… I’m kind of afraid of what is going to happen after I give birth. I was reading some books and found out that some women despise sex for more than 6 months after their babies are born. Can you imagine if that would happen to us? Or better saying, if I’ll be grows out by sex and you will be suffering in a dry period?”

Carmilla chuckled kissing Laura’s forehead again. “My love, I don’t care if we don’t sex for a year. It will suck big time, but we can overcome that. We have each other and this is more important than sex.”

Laura was about to protest when Carmilla proceeded “And you don’t even know if that will be the case, so stop worrying about things that maybe will never happen.”

“But you were freaking out because of these 2 weeks… well no so much in the begging, but the last days were rough.”

“Yes, it was because both of us wanted. I’m not a jerk, I won’t give my back to you because we can’t have sex. And I was more frustrated because it was my fault and you have your hormones to deal with and… I just…” She kissed Laura on her lips. “I was missing to make you come like you just did.”

Laura giggled “You such a sap, sometimes.” Her hands was trailing Carmilla’s stomach then up to her breasts. Laura started to massage one boob, making Carmilla closed her eyes with that incredible sensation. She missed that too. Well, she missed everything. But they had more than enough to make up for the time lost.

She approached Laura, pulling her for a kiss, the butterflies on her stomach was still making her feel like it was their first time, all over again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you want to remember, the info about the donor is in the chapter 2 - Laura.
> 
> All the information you gave me was so precious and even if want to say what others have said before, if you want to give your opinion about the future of this story, leave your comments in here or in my tumblr:  
> theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	23. You’re Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More headaches and fever torments Carmilla, but Laura just had enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy sunday!  
> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, I think there is a little of everything that you see in an average chapter of this fic. I hope you have fun too!

**Chapter 23 – You’re Beautiful**

 

Laura opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was Carmilla’s dark locks lying over her white sheets. She yawned stretching her arms. She was feeling a little sore from the last night activities. Her old hard bed helped to caused that a little. Her head was over Carmilla’s chest and she automatically rested her right hand back on Carmilla’s stomach, caressing lightly her smooth skin.

“Are you up for another one, Cupcake?” Carmilla said with her husky morning voice.

Laura chuckled looking up to Carmilla. “What are doing awake at this ‘ungodly hour’?”

“I’m admiring my very naked fiancé.” Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura.

Laura looked at the rest of her body, but it was covered with sheets. “I think you need glasses, Carm. I’m not that naked.”

Carmilla pulled the sheets from them, revealing their 2 naked bodies. “Naked enough now?”

“Carm! Stop it! I’m cold.” Laura squealed pulling back the covers.

“I know about something that can make you feel very warm.” She pulled Laura up, but her fiancé turned her face.

“Morning breath, no.” She giggled. “And my father is probably backed home.”

“Yes he is. He came around 6 in the morning and is sleeping like a stone.”

“What time it’s now?”

Carmilla looked at her phone on the bedside table “10:30. And his room it’s not even next to yours. He won’t wake up anytime soon.”

Laura placed her hand again over Carmilla’s stomach. “You are making a very good case in your favor.”

“In our favor.” Carmilla corrected her.

“Are you really in the mood so early?” Laura said as she as moving her hands down Carmilla’s body, stopping by her navel.

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Carmilla gave her best seductive eyes. Laura kept her hands wandering, then stopping again, right by the end of Carmilla’s belly, a place she knew it was very sensitive. The simple act to scratch her nails lightly from one hip to the other was creating goosebumps in that area.

She smiled mischievously, eyeing Carmilla’s breasts. She shifted her position, reaching Carmilla’s right nipple with her mouth. She was trying to see if she could make her tremble, without touching the place Carmilla wanted the most. At first Carmilla was not moving, but after Laura scratched her teeth on her skin, she heard a moan. She went further, licking and sucking, until Carmilla arched her back, letting out a whimper. Laura smiled against Carmilla’s nipple, making her hand finally reach her wet clit. She teased it just for a bit, before she traced patterns in Carmilla’s folders, going up and down, making a large round.

“I think you _are_ in the mood.” Laura said looking at Carmilla’s tense face. She loved to see her “sex face” when she touched Carmilla. She felt it was like a privilege. “You are soaking wet.”

Saying the simple statement made Carmilla even more wet under her fingers, and increased the spasms in her hips. “Do you like dirty talk, Carmilla Karnstein?” Laura said in a very teasing voice.

Carmilla hummed a response, nodding her head. She was past the talking part. Laura went for the other nipple while her finger was finally massaging her fiancé clit. Carmilla was panting, her hands grasping the sheets tightly.

“Do you know what else I want to do for our fantasy list?” Laura asked looking at Carmilla’s pleading features. She mumbled out a no. “I want.” Laura said pulling the nipple with her teeth “to”. She sucked hard “trying scissoring with you.” 

The talk worked better than she ever imagined, because Carmilla was coming hard right there. Laura was still massaging both Carmilla’s breasts, when she saw her face getting to that adorable glow after sex. She wanted to kiss her lips, but she didn’t want to ruin things over her morning breath.

 

She slipped away from Carmilla, dressing in her nightdress and opening slightly the door. She peeked the hall and saw her father bedroom’s door closed. She walked down to the bathroom, which was just next door, hearing him snoring like a thunder. Carmilla was right. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She returned back to her room, hearing the snoring all the way until her door. She found Carmilla sitting on the edge of the bed, getting herself dressed with PJs.

“What were you doing?” Carmilla asked seeing Laura returning wrapped in a towel, carrying her nightdress and tossing it in her bag.

“I was taking a shower. You were right, my dad is sound asleep.”

“Were you serious about the scissoring thing?”

Laura blushed, looking uneasy at Carmilla. “I was.” She approached her very slowing “I don’t know if it’s a myth, or a real thing, but since you know a lot about these things, I don’t know, but I got curious.”

Carmilla smiled amused to her. “Not a myth but… I never did it. So if you really want to know how it feels, we are going to discover this together.”

Laura sad by her side. “Really, you never did? Why?”

Carmilla sighed. “Because it’s very intimate. And also dangerous if you not do it right, but mostly because the intense contact and the diseases that can be spread so… I would never do that with a random girl.”

“Right.” Laura smiled shyly, while Carmilla was sitting further in the middle of the bed.

“Come here.” She said extending her hand to Laura. “You know how I hate when we have sex and you don’t come.”

“Don’t you wanna have breakfast? I’m starving after all that exercise.” 

Carmilla gestured with her index finger, calling Laura to get closer. Laura chuckled, crawling on the bed and straddling her fiancé, sitting on her lap, and tossing her towel on the floor. Carmilla gestured with her finger again, her face in a full smirk. “Come here, I want to have my breakfast in bed.”

“What?” Said Laura confused by a second, then she felt her face burning red when she realized what Carmilla wanted. But she didn’t move.

“Sit on my face.” She said grabbing Laura’s ass and pulling her up.

“Are you sure?” Laura voice’s was skipping some letters.

Carmilla nodded. “Use your knees for support, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay…” Laura said crawling on her knees, making her way up to Carmilla’s head. Even after all the things they did in bed she could feel a little self-conscious around Carmilla, but mostly she was surprised. Things were never like that with Danny and she could not imagine being back to her old boring sex life ever. Carmilla made everything so much better and so much fun.

“Hold on your bed headboard and let the rest with me.” She grabbed firmly in Laura’s ass, making her fiancé bottom to finally touch her face, making Laura giggling for a second.

Carmilla was not admired that Laura was still wet, even after the shower. It was part of their daily routine to have sex in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon, and always in the night. And she knew how much Laura craved all of this moments, sometimes they even didn’t need foreplays. Like right now.

Laura was stiff at first, afraid to let her weight smash Carmilla. She held the headboard tensed, as Carmilla was making things with her tongue that should be a crime. Carmilla was feeling her tension, so she wrapped her arms around Laura’s thighs, spreading her legs further and caressing her inner thighs with the tips of her fingers. Laura slowly was relaxing, losing the tension on her arms. 

She started to rock her hips following Carmilla’s rhythm, letting herself go in the waves of amazing sensations. Everything felt just perfect. Carmilla’s hands on her thighs, her mouth vigorously taking every inch of her. It was indeed amazing.

A sharp moan escape from her mouth, when she felt a finger making its way in her entrance. Her legs were shaking with every new thrust. She remembered where she was and she tried to muffle her noises. It was almost impossible, especially after the second finger joined the first. 

She was almost coming when she felt Carmilla curling her fingers right in her g-spot, making her see stars. She lost the control of her movements on Carmilla’s face, she just held tight in her headboard, letting out a scream louder than she planned, while her body was coming undone.

The next thing she saw, after her moment of total oblivion, was Carmilla’s face right by her side. She was laid down on the bed with her. Her only reaction was to grab Carmilla and kiss her intensely, tasting herself in the process. She wasn’t caring about morning breath anymore.

“Fuck, Carmilla, I hope my dad is still sleeping!” She whined releasing Carmilla’s lips.

“I make you come like you were about to die and that it’s the first thing you said to me?” Carmilla asked a little offended.

Laura covered her face in shame, the reality of what she just did was finally reaching her. “God, you always find a way to embarrass me.”

Carmilla shook her head, totally frustrated. She stood up and ran to her bag, taking some clothes. Before she reached the door, she stopped by the bed and talked to Laura in a low but irritated tone “Your father knows you have a sex life, you don’t need to feel embarrassed about it.”

“And now all Creekville knows too.” Laura hissed back.

Carmilla huffed and left, closing the door behind her.

 

When she was about to get inside the bathroom, Mr Hollis peeked the hall from his bedroom.

“It’s everything okay?” He asked looking with a very wrinkled and sleepy face. “I heard a scream.”

Carmilla turned to him “Hum… Laura was having a bad dream, but it’s all good now.” She said aloof.

“Oh, I was worried that someone got hurt.” He said with a concerned face.

“We were watching horror movies on Netflix last night. It’s my all fault, she hates them.” She shrugged apologetic.

He chuckled. “Laura never changes.” Carmilla gave him a half smile and left for the bathroom.

 

**+++**

 

“Bad dreams again, kiddo.” Mr Hollis said in the kitchen table where they were having breakfast.

“Huh?” Laura mumbled looking up at him.

“I heard the scream, that was a hell of a nightmare.” He paused his fork on the plate “You know what these movies make to you, kiddo.”

Laura’s face was blushing to a deep shade of red, she could feel the warmth right there. Then she looked furiously at Carmilla, giving her an “I told you” look.

“I’m sorry Cupcake, totally my fault.” Carmilla said with a deadpan face.

“Yeah, totally your fault.” She said poking her waffle like she was trying to murder it.

 

Even in her rage state Laura noticed in Carmilla’s face a strange shade of red. Was she feeling embarrassing too? That could not be possible. Not Carmilla.

“Laura, did you look the attic?” Mr Hollis said eating his breakfast, not even noticing the looks between the girls.

“Not yet, dad.” Laura returned her attention to her plate.

“You only have 2 more days before the moving truck leaves to Silas. Don’t forget about this.”

“I won’t” She guarantee him. Then she looked again at Carmilla and noticed another thing. She was wearing a hood.

“Carmilla, are you feeling cold?” She asked in a more casual tone.

“Yeah, a little.” Carmilla answered paying attention on her plate.

 

She raised a brow and extended her hand touching Carmilla’s forehead. Her eyes turned to a frown as she slid her hands, touching her fiancé cheeks.

“You are burning, Carmilla. Again.”

Carmilla pulled Laura’s hand from her face. “I’m fine.”

“Carmilla.” Laura said in a stern tone.

“It’s just that headache, Cupcake.” She shrugged. “I’ll take some painkillers and I’ll be better right away.”

“No.” Laura shook her head. “We are going to the doctor this time. This is not normal.”

“I can take you.” Mr Hollis said helpful.

“You have a lot of things to take care, right? I’ll be fine.” She shrugged.

“Carmilla this is serious. And you have insurance now, we are going.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, taking another bite from her waffle “Fine.”

 

After they finish breakfast, Mr Hollis was driving them to the closest hospital. Carmilla was looking at the window with folded arms. Laura was looking with puppy eyes for her. “I’m sorry, Carm.” She said almost like a whisper, brushing Carmilla’s hair with her hands, tucking a lock behind her ears.

Carmilla turned to her, exhaling a breath. “It’s okay.”

Laura extended her arm pulling over Carmilla’s shoulder bringing her closer and kissing her temple. Her other hand found Carmilla’s and she gave her a squeeze. Mr Hollis was taking a peek at the scene in the rear mirror, hiding a kind smile.

 

**+++**

 

They arrived at the hospital, it was 2 cities down after Creekville, it was the biggest hospital around, where Laura was born 28 years before. After a quick trial, they took Carmilla to the ER, where she waited for the doctor lying in a gurney with many others gurneys lined up. But there were not many other people beside her.

“Good afternoon.” Said a man with blue scrubs, carrying a chart, with a woman by his side, also wearing scrubs. “I’m Dr O’Hara. And you are…” He looked at chart “Ms Carmilla Karnstein.”

“Yep.” Carmilla said, looking a little worst by the minute.

“I’m Laura Hollis, her fiancé.” Laura said, standing by Carmilla’s side.

The doctor nodded to Laura and looked at his watch. “Where is Dr Ryan?”

“He is coming, said the woman by his side.”

“Well, I can’t wait anymore.” He looked at Carmilla. “And this is Dr Capela.”

A man came running “I’m here, O’Hara.” He stood and regained his breath.

“And this is Dr Ryan.”

“Hey.” The man said waving his hand.

“Why so many doctors?” Carmilla asked in her full broody demeanor.

“This is a teaching hospital, Ms Karnstein.” He handed the chart to Dr. Ryan. “Can you read Ms Karnstein file?”

“Fuck, I’m in Grey’s Anatomy now.”

“Carm.” Laura said nudging Carmilla on her shoulder. “Behave, they are here to help you.”

“Sure, mom.” She rolled her eyes.

Dr. Ryan cleaned his throat before he read the chart. Laura had gave all the information about Carmilla’s last day sick with headaches and fever, and now the same symptoms was back this morning.

“We already took her vitals, It’s all normal, except for her temperature, what it’s the next procedure, Dr. Capela” Asked Dr. O’Hara.

“We give her something to lower down her fever and make some tests to discover the source of the headache and the fever.”

“Okay, what exams do you suggest, Dr. Ryan?”

The younger doctor made a thinking face. “CT scan, CBC, and a pregnancy test, cause it’s very common in these cases in women by her age.”

Carmilla let out a snarky laugh, Dr. Capela held a giggle and Dr. O’Hara kept the same expression, turning to look at Dr. Ryan. “Can you explain yourself better?”

He scratched his neck, looking again at the chart. “Well, fever, dizziness, headaches, all symptoms of early pregnancy. It’s a safe bet.”

“Don’t waste your time, I’m not pregnant.” Carmilla said pointedly.

“Do you have an active sex life?” He asked Carmilla.

“Yes” she answered crossing her arms.

“Were you using contraceptives methods?”

“None.” Carmilla said in a deadpan tone.

“Do you have a disease or any dysfunction that can make you infertile?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“So.” He smiled victory “It’s very possible.”

Carmilla shook her head, “No it’s not.”

“I have to disagree with you, Ms Karnstein.”

Laura rolled her eyes, tired of that game. “I’m her fiancé.” She said to the doctor, gesturing to her and Carmilla. “We are a couple, we are gay. I’m the only one pregnant here, not Carmilla. Do you get it now? Can we move on?”

The smile of the doctor dropped to a frown. Dr. O’Hara placed a hand on his shoulder. “And that’s why you can’t never be late for rounds, Dr. Ryan.”

“I’m very sorry, Ms Karnstein.” He wriggled his face apologetic, giving a step back.

“There is an important fact that none of you are paying attention.” Said Dr. O’Hara to his two students doctors. “One of them is Ms Karnstein age, she is 23. And the other is her dental history.”

Dr. Capela made a disappointed face, like she figure out she’d missed something too.

“Have you extracted your wisdom teeth, Ms Karnstein?”

“No.” She said with a very annoyed voice. “And please call me Carmilla.”

“Alright. Carmilla.” He looked at Dr. Capela.

“An x-ray.” She said following the doctors thought.

“You are going to take care of that.” He looked back to Carmilla. “Your pain, Carmilla, is probably from your wisdom teeth making pressure on your jaw and the back of your skull. We will be sure looking at your x-ray.”

“What happened if that is the problem, doctor?” Asked Laura.

“You will give you the medication for the fever, but you have to go to a dentist as soon as possible and remove them. But, let’s see the results first.”

 

**+++**

 

With Carmilla’s X-ray in hand, Dr. O’Hara medicated her, and after her fever got in control they discharged her, giving the recommendation to return if she got some of the symptoms back. Laura thanked him and after 2 hours arriving to the hospital, they were leaving.

Mr Hollis called to Dr. Dennis, his dentist friend in Creekville. He opened his schedule to see Carmilla in the next hour.

“Did you remove all your wisdom teeth, Cupcake?” Carmilla asked, holding tight Laura’s hand in the dentist waiting room.

“Yes, like 6 years ago. Why?”

“Did it hurt?”

“Well… You don’t feel a thing with the anesthesia, but the recovering part sucks big time, I’m not going to lie.”

Carmilla sighed. “I knew I was fuck anyway.”

Mr Hollis cleaned his throat. “Language, lady.” He was sat by Laura’s side.

“Sorry, Sir…John.” Carmilla said with her head down.

“The good part it’s that you can eat a lot of ice cream.” Laura said in a light tone.

“And the bad part, besides the pain?” Carmilla looked hopeful to Laura.

“All can eat is ice cream.” She shrugged “Or anything liquid and cold.”

“Great.” Carmilla said sarcastic, hutching her back.

The doctor called Carmilla and she felt like she was going to her death sentence.

 

After 2 hours, Carmilla was back with her face swollen, but with a relaxed expression.

“I had to took just 2 of them.” The dentist said to Laura and her father. Laura was holding Carmilla’s hand, looking worried at her. “The ones that were causing more trouble. But she needs to extract the other 2 on the left side, after her recovery from this surgery.”

“How are doing, Carmilla?” Laura asked.

“I’m fine, just fine.” She said with a muffled and slurred voice.

 

The dentist gave the rest of recommendations, Carmilla should rest for 2 days without lifting any heavy weigh and making any other effort. Mr Hollis helped Laura to take Carmilla to the back seat of his car and they drove back home. Laura hoped that Carmilla’s sickness would be finally resolved.

“Why it’s so bright in here? Turn off the sun, Cupcake.” Carmilla said raising her hands and covering her eyes. The sun was about to set and was shining in her eyes direction.

Laura chucked, taking her phone. “I’m so going to film this.”

Mr Hollis looked briefly in the rear mirror “She will be mad at you, kiddo.”

“Carmilla love to make fun of me, it’s time for me to tease her for a change.” Laura opened her video app and pointed her phone to Carmilla.

“Hey Carm, looked at me.”

Carmilla looked at her with furrowed eyes. “You didn’t turn off the sun…” It was getting hard to understand her voice, but Laura could get some pieces.

“We can’t, the sun is too far away.” She explained like Carmilla was a child.

Carmilla seemed to take the information. Then she looked up to Laura again “You’re so beautiful, Cupcake.”

Laura laughed. “Thank you! You are very beautiful too.” Carmilla smiled back, but her face turned to another frown.

“I’m hungry.” She whined.

“We are going to get some ice cream.” Mr Hollis said.

Carmilla smiled. “I love ice cream.”

“Really?” Laura said amused, keeping filming.

“Yeah… so good. I want lots of ice cream.”

“What else do you like Carmilla?”

Carmilla giggled looking at Laura. “You, I love you, Cupcake.”

Laura smiled “I love you too, Carm.” She kissed Carmilla’s forehead. “What else?”

Carmilla made a thinking face. “Hum… I really, really love to make love with you.”

Laura dropped her hand covering her face. She could not remember how many times she felt that sensation on her face on that day.

“Carmilla!” She said in a mix of frustration and embarrassment.

Mr Hollis, who was holding a straight face since Carmilla spoke for the last time, let out a loud laugh.

“And apparently you also love to embarrass me, even high as a kite.”

Carmilla did not understand what was going on. She looked at Laura’s belly and hugged her. “Little guy, I love you. I love you so much.”

Laura’s annoyed expression dropped. She hugged Carmilla back.

“You are smelling so good, Cupcake. I love your smell too.” She said still holding Laura.

Apparently Carmilla loved everything, Laura thought. Carmilla looked at the mirror and she saw Mr Hollis looking at her.

“I love you too Mr Hollis. Even though you are a cop, but I love you.”

“You don’t like cops, Carmilla?” He asked looking at the mirror with a fake offended expression.

“No.” She shook her head, never leaving Laura’s torso.

“Why, not?”

“They don’t believe in me.” She sat up again, placing her arms over Laura’s shoulder. “But not you, Mr Hollis, you believe in me.”

Laura felt her eyes watering. She was not pointing the phone to Carmilla, but it was still recording.

“Yes, I do, kid.” He stopped in a sign and turned to Carmilla in the back seat, showing her an honest smile. “I believe in you.”

Carmilla smiled at him and started to pat Laura’s belly again. “And you… little guy, I don’t care if are ginger, okay? Maybe people will think you are Perry’s and Laf’s baby. But I don’t care… I love you, okay?”

Laura chuckled, laughing and crying at the same time. She blamed the hormones, but she knew it was more than that.

 

**+++**

 

They bought a lot of pints of ice cream to Carmilla, all the flavors she wanted. She only could eat them after the anesthesia was totally worn off. They also bought her the pain medication, Laura gave her a dose before Carmilla went to bed to take a nap. She woke up 4 hours later, cursing like a sailor. Everything hurt. Even curse, hurt. She found the pills by the bedside table and a note from Laura. She took the pill and cursed a little more, making her way down stairs. Laura was alone, sat on the couch watching Netflix on her computer.

“How are you feeling?” Laura asked placing her hand on Carmilla’s forehead as she was sitting by her side. Carmilla was not hot, but her cheeks was even bigger.

“Like shit.” She mumbled. Yes, saying that hurt too.

 

Laura scooped to the end of the couch, gesturing for Carmilla to lay on her lap. Carmilla gently rested the top of her head on Laura’s thigh, facing her belly. She folded the rest of her body in fetal position to fit in the couch.

“Are you hungry? We have tons of ice cream.”

“Not really.” She said patting the belly. She pulled Laura’s shirt up a little and placed a soft kiss with puff lips on her belly.

She wrapped her other arm on Laura’s torso.

“Don’t you wanna watch something?”

Carmilla hummed a no. Laura looked down to her, running her fingers on Carmilla’s hair, scratching lightly her scalp. Carmilla closed her eyes with the soothing sensation.

 

Laura kept watching Doctor Who with the laptop over the coffee table. There was no TV on the living room. In fact most of the house was empty. With the exception of the old furniture, some kitchen appliances, the bed and bath essentials, the house was bare. And, of course, there was the attic, with things from Laura’s childhood and others that belonged to her mother. The fundamental reason she was avoiding that place.

 

After 30 minutes with Carmilla on her lap, Laura felt her tiny human moving again. She got a bit startled. She pulled Carmilla’s hand from her right side to the left, placing her in the exactly spot she felt he moving. Carmilla looked up to her, smiling for the first time since she woke up from her nap.

“Did you feel it?” She asked with bright eyes to Carmilla.

“Yes.” Carmilla said weekly, despite the happy tone. “Hey my boy, its mommy.”

“And mom.” Laura said looking down. Carmilla smiled to her.

“I can’t talk much now… but I’ll tell you some stories as soon as my mouth doesn’t feel like a horror movie prop.” She brushed the belly gently. “I promise you.”

“I can do some talk.” Laura said running her hands on Carmilla’s hair again. “You’re going to have two moms waiting for you in the outside world. Most kids have just one mom and one dad, but not you, little one. Two moms and one grandpa, which is really good. No, it’s great actually, cause I didn’t had that. But I’m lucky anyway, because my father is a great man, and some people have none, for too long.”

Carmilla looked up to her with watering eyes. Laura smiled gently “My mom wanted to have me for too long.” She continued her speech. “For five years she was going to doctor after doctor, never finding out why she could not be pregnant. My father said she was the happiest when she found out she was pregnant with me. And when I was born, she felt that her life was finally completed.” 

Laura shed a tear, her voice was cracking. “And that’s why I know she didn’t run away, like some people have suggested. Especially now that I have you, I’m sure whatever happened to her, was not because she wanted to leave me, or my dad. The love that I have for you is unconditional, my tiny little boy.”

Laura let some more tears roll her face. Carmilla held her tightly, resting her forehead in her belly, and placing another feather light kiss on Laura. She realized she knew that kind of love too. Because she felt it, for both of them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too cheese? Well, I can't help myself sometimes... :p


	24. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura finally goes to the attic, and they spend their last day in Minnesota.

**Chapter 24 – Moving On**

 

Carmilla kept looking to the red stain of her blood red spit in the sink. If she knew that her headaches had been caused by her stupid teeth, she would have removed them a long time ago. Not now, in this godforsaken town. She took another pill and went downs stairs for her breakfast. Yes, more ice cream.

 

She could not avoid her tongue curiosity, touching that stitches every 2 minutes. She rather it would be touching something else. But “something else” was forbidden for the next 2 days. Why she was always been punished with sex restrictions? That was not fair at all. Not with her hot fiancé making delightful suggestions on bed. Hurt mouth aside, she could not complain about her life. She had a beautiful girl, inside and out, a baby coming and even a very nice father in law to be. Her job was the only thing that still bothered her. After all of this time away from the drugstore, she could not imagine working there anymore, she would definitely look for another one.

 

Laura was nowhere in the house. When she returned to the living room, Mr Hollis told her that Laura was in the attic. Even though Carmilla was getting used to be awake in the daytime and sleep at night, she still had a hard time to wake up before noon. And most of the time she missed Laura in the bed. She hated to wake up alone.

 

“And Carmilla.” Said Mr Hollis, before she left up stairs. “Keep an eye on Laura, please. I told her I’ll get anything she needed to be carrying out from the attic, but you know how stubborn she is.”

“Sure thing, John.” Carmilla said still feeling the stitches pulling her gum.

“And you too, don’t take anything heavy, or I will arrest you, I mean it.” He made a fake mad face.

“No problem, Sir.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla approached slowly, taking careful steps to the attic. She found Laura looking inside of an old wood trunk. She pulled out a white long dress and looked with a painful expression to the wrinkled fabric. Carmilla didn’t want to scare her, so she just said a “Hey.” Laura starlet a little.

“Hey.” Her expression eased a little when she looked at Carmilla. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Did you eat already? You barely ate last night.”

“I did. I think I won’t be a big fan of ice cream after these 2 days.”

“I don’t think it’s possible.”

“It’s your mom’s?” Carmilla said pointing to the dress.

“Yeah.” Laura smiled a bit. “Very 80’s, huh?”

Carmilla approached taking the hem of the dress. “Not bad. I think it can be refurbished or something.”

“Maybe.” Laura tilted her head. “I think I will take it with me.”

Carmilla felt a little dizzy and sat on a rocking chair a few feet away from Laura. “Cupcake, we need to talk about our wedding day.”

“I know.” Laura shoved the dress in a cardboard box. She turned to Carmilla “I really wanted to have a big and fancy wedding but…”

“What?”

“That will take forever to plan. And with the baby coming, I don’t know when and how we can do it.”

“Can I make a suggestion?” 

“Sure.” She sat on the top of the trunk.

“I know my original plan was to get married after the baby was born, but I really wanted for us get married before that.”

Laura twisted her face in a frustrated look “It will be impossible to make a proper wedding in so short time.”

“I know but… since it’s really impossible to make the perfect wedding now, we can just go the to city hall and sign the papers. We can have some sort of celebration with our close friends and your father, then we can have the wedding you have always dream of, when things settle.”

“You are really eager to tie the nods with me, huh?”

“I am.” She smiled. “There is also another reason too.” She looked down, fidgeting with some threads of her ripped jean. “I know this is cliché and maybe a little corny but… I want us to be legally a family when our boy is born. I’m done been your fiancé Laura. I want to be your wife.” She looked up and faced Laura again, with an expectant look.

Laura gave with a timid smile to her, walking to the chair and sitting on Carmilla’s lap, rocking the chair a little. Carmilla held her carefully, Laura rested her forehead on Carmilla’s, touching gingerly her jaw. Carmilla winced a little. “Sorry, Carm, I… I just, I wanted...”

Carmilla decreased the distance between them, touching with her lips gently on Laura’s, caressing her cheek with her free hand. Laura broke the kiss, pulling Carmilla’s hand to her mouth, kissing it. “Alright, let’s get marry already.” She chucked.

Carmilla opened a wide smile “So, you want to marry me, let’s say… next month?” Carmilla said brushing the belly tenderly.

“So soon?” Laura said with a high pitch voice.

“Well, I was going to say next week, but that sounds too desperate, so…”

Laura snapped. “Next week?!”

Like in a cue, the baby moved in Laura’s belly. “See? He agrees with me.” Carmilla said feeling the boy moving under her hand.

“Or he is saying that is an insane idea.”

Carmilla pouted. Laura thought that was the first time she was seeing that. Carmilla Karnstein was pouting. “Carmilla, you’re no allowed to do that.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, September.”

“Carm! I know it’s just some papers, but we need to make plans, and pay bills, and shop for baby things.”

Carmilla shrugged using a high pitch voice “We can solve this in one day. It’s not a big deal.” 

Laura sighed, giving a soft peck in Carmilla’s lips. “I’ll think about it.”

Carmilla gave Laura a half smile and brushed her hair. They were so getting that chair too.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla and Laura spent the entire afternoon searching the attic. Laura found more pictures of her mother and a box with some jewelry. They also found Laura’s old crib and it looked really solid. It just needed to be put together again. They got some toys and finally called Mr Hollis to carry everything to the moving truck. During dinner (where Carmilla was eating more ice cream) Mr Hollis told them he had a proposal.

 

“So, I was going to drive all to way to Silas by the end of the week, because I just bought my car and I don’t want to sell it and buy a new one in California. But a 2 or 3 days road trip it’s not really something I’m up to do alone, and I’m really tired after the things I’d to take care of in the last few weeks, and…” He made a pause to breath. “Bottom line, I was wondering if you girls want to do that. If you leave tomorrow you won’t be late to be back at work, and I can take the extra days to deal with the last details of the house and my job.” He raised both eyebrows. “So what do you think? Do you want to make this road trip and take my car to California?”

Laura and Carmilla looked at each other. Carmilla had a glimpse of hope in her eyes, Laura was a little unsure. “We will think about it, dad.”

He nodded. “Alright. But don’t take too long to decide. I have to buy a flight ticket for me before I got stuck here another week.” He looked at his watch. “I have a meeting in 20 minutes, see you later.” He stood up. “Laura, can you take care of the dishes this time?”

“Sure, dad.”

 

He gave a last greeting and left with his car keys. Laura knew what was going on. Her father was doing that because of Carmilla. He told her how he was looking forward for this trip. Carmilla didn’t know, but Laura told him all about her fear of flying. She rubbed Carmilla’s arm by her side.

“So, do you think you’d be fine with a road trip just 2 days after your surgery?”

Carmilla was taking the last of her ice cream. “Cupcake, I would be fine even if the surgery was on the same day.” She looked at Laura. “Are _you_ okay to take this trip? You know, with your pregnancy and everything?”

“Yeah, I think so.” She looked more careful to Carmilla. “So… are we going?”

Carmilla opened a full smile “I’m in.”

 

Laura called her father announcing their decision. She got her laptop to make some planning for the road, while Carmilla got the task to pack everything they needed. She was cursing again, at the sight of the mess that was Laura room. It was basically her fault, anyway. She was getting better at keeping her things in the right place, but for some reason, she could not keep the same behavior in a foreign place.

Laura got in the bedroom with laptop in hand. 

“We need to leave really early-“  
“Nooo..” Carmilla whined.

“Carm, if we want to make some stops in the way and be back in Silas by Sunday, we need to leave as early as possible.” Carmilla whined again, dropping herself on the bed. Laura sat on the edge, computer on her lap. “I’ll drive for the first 6 hours, and you can take a nap. We need to make breaks at every 2 or 3 hours, to eat pee and stretch ours legs.”

“Fine.” Carmilla mumbled, laying on her back.

“I marked some sights to see and booked a couple of inns in the way.”

“I want to see the Grand Canyon” Carmilla said approaching Laura, sitting by her side and looking at the screen.

“It’s not in our route, but I can make some changes.” Laura added the new stop in her map.

“And Las Vegas.” She kissed Laura’s shoulder. “We can even get married while we are there.”

“As if.” Laura scolded. “We are not getting married in Vegas, oh-no.”

 

After talking more about their trip, Laura went to get a shower while Carmilla typed something on the computer. When it was her turn to take a shower, Laura was looking at their bags again, making sure Carmilla got everything.

 

Carmilla returned from the bathroom with only a towel, again, and Laura rolled her eyes, keeping her concentration on the screen of her computer, while Carmilla was getting dressed. She really wanted to know when her hormones were going to give a break to her. Seriously, it was pathetic. Carmilla was making her way under the sheets dressed in her PJs. She looked at Laura’s phone on her side of the nightstand. She took it and tapped the screen looking for something.

 

“What are you doing?” Laura asked noticing Carmilla snooping her phone.

“Looking for the video you made.” She said keeping her eyes on the phone.

“What video?” Laura said aloof.

“You think I didn’t remember, huh?”

“Remember what?” She used her high pitch voice.

“Found it! I knew it!” Carmilla celebrated seeing the first seconds of the video Laura recorded while she was still dazed by the anesthesia.

“Hey, what about my privacy?” Laura said extending her hand to take her phone from Carmilla. Her fiancé moved quickly enough to avoid Laura’s hand to take it.

“Privacy? You were trying to mock me.” Carmilla snorted. “I don’t remember exactly what happened, but I remember you shoved your phone on my face.” 

Laura was going again after her phone, but Carmilla pushed herself down on the bed, laying over her belly, escaping from Laura’s grip. 

“Give me my phone!” Laura demanded, throwing herself over Carmilla.

“What the fuck is this?” Carmilla said seeing her puffed face and hearing her sunlight complaining.

Laura was almost reaching the phone, but Carmilla stretched her arms further, making impossible for Laura to catch it. “Carm!”

“Your father was right, I am mad.” Carmilla complained after the ice cream comment.

“Carmilla, stop!” Laura was making her way around Carmilla, but Carmilla was turning her arms to the side, escaping Laura again. She smiled like a goofy at her compliments and love declaration to Laura. Then she turned to her other side, dodging Laura again.

“I really, really love to make love with you.” Said Carmilla in the video. Hearing this last part made the sober Carmilla to break in a series of cackles, making her best to avoid Laura’s hand on her phone. “Ha ha ha ha haaaa”

 

She finally dropped the phone on the bed, while she turned to her back, embracing her belly while she kept laughing at the video. She didn’t know what was more funny, Laura’s embarrassment or her father reaction.

 

Laura got her phone and paused the video. She sat up again, changing the settings of her phone and blocking it with a password. She sighed relived, placing her phone back on her nightstand. She could not allow Carmilla to see the rest of the video, where she confessed she didn’t like cops. She knew Carmilla was not ready to talk about that.

“I take it back.” Carmilla said with her last giggles. “I’m not mad, at all. It’s so worth it!”

“It’s not funny.” Laura said pouting and crossing her arms.

“It’s hurting my mouth to laugh this much, but I don’t care.” She sat up facing Laura. “You so had it coming, Cupcake.”

Laura took a pillow from Carmilla’s side and threw it on her. “How can you manage to embarrassing me even when you are high, Carmilla?”

Carmilla embraced the pillow, laying on the bed again. “It was totally your fault and you know it!”

“It was not!” Laura turned and laid on her side, facing away from Carmilla.

Carmilla sat up again, and crawled to the top of the bed, laying on her side and snuggling Laura. “I want to see to rest of the video.” She said in Laura’s ear.

“There is nothing else to see.” Laura growled.

“Come on, the worst part is over, I’m sure I didn’t embarrassed you anymore than that.” Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura’s waist.

“Seriously, I stopped right after that.” She was trying to ignore her body reacting with Carmilla’s touch. 

“So what happened next?” Carmilla asked placing kisses on Laura’s nape and neck. The simple act was sending shivers to Laura’s spine.

“You said you loved our son and my dad.”

“Really?! Even your dad?” She buried her face on Laura’s neck.

“Yep. And you hugged my belly while you said that.”

“Oh God, how can I be such a sap?”

“You also said I smell good.”

“Well, next time you don’t bring you father along, okay?”

“Duh! Of course I won’t.”

 

They remained in silence for a few minutes. Carmilla rolled to the other side and turned off the bedroom light. Laura hummed a complain, feeling her back cold. Carmilla returned, placing another kiss on Laura’s neck and shoulder, cuddling her again.

“So, you really love me, huh?” Laura asked holding Carmilla’s hand on hers.

Carmilla chuckled closing her eyes. “You had any doubt?”

“No, but… it’s never too much hearing it again.”

“I love you more than anything in the world, Laura Hollis.” Carmilla said softly in Laura’s ears. “And you too, little guy.”

Laura sighed, feeling her heart beating so happy. “I love you too, Carm.”

 

**+++**

 

In the next morning, it took exactly 10 minutes for Laura to make Carmilla leave the bed. Mr Hollis was already up, giving Laura some bear spray and making a list of things she should be careful in their journey. While he was carrying the heavy bags to the car, she took a last look at her house, running her hands in the yellow walls, the vivid garden, the tiny marks of fingers on the hall walls. The placed wasn’t the same as it was when she was a child, but the feeling crushing her heart was very real. She would never see that house again. She would never come back on Christmas, almost falling on the slippery sidewalk, watching the red and green lights her dad put on every year. She felt a large arm wrapping her shoulder and giving her a warm hug.

 

“Don’t worry kiddo, the house will always be here, whenever you want to see it again.” Her father said kissing her temple. She shed some tears that were threatening to fall.

“It’s okay, dad.” Laura looked up. “The house it’s not the most important thing, it’s the people. And you, and everyone that I love, is coming with me so…” She sniffed. “I’ll be fine.”

He pulled her for another tender hug and Carmilla called their attention, making them turn. She was holding her phone, standing up in front of the house, a few away feet from them.

 

“What about one last picture?” She said raising the phone and framing them.

“Yes.” Laura said wiping the tears from her eyes. Mr Hollis opened a big smile and Carmilla took a shot at father and daughter in front of their former home.

“Come here kid.” Mr Hollis said gesturing for Carmilla. Now it was his turn to take the picture of Laura and Carmilla in front of the house.

 

He took a lot of shots, as the pair looked to each other with heart eyes. He called a neighbor who was walking by with his dog and asked him to take a last picture, of him, Laura and Carmilla in front of the house.

They said their final goodbyes and Laura and Carmilla finally hit the road.

 

**+++**

 

Laura drove for 3 hours straight before the first break. She parked in a rest area and took a picture of Carmilla drooling on the backrest.

“Hey sleepyhead! First stop.” She nudged Carmilla.

Carmilla opened her eyes slowly, making a frown. “Did you take a picture of me?”

“How do you know that?”

“I heard a click.”

“I need to pee. Do you want to come and stretch your legs a little?”

“Not really but, I’m coming anyway.”

 

They drove for another couple of hours and only stopped once, cause Laura wanted to see the Real Linus Statue, a statue made in honor of the man who inspired the characters in Peanuts cartoon. Carmilla said it was too lame and it really was. It was a statue and nothing more.

 

Carmilla begged to Laura stop in a place with a “real ovni” and after seeing a piece of metal that looked like an old gigantic pan, they decided to be more selective with their choices. While Carmilla was driving, they left the highway again, this time for a “real side road attraction” as Carmilla called one of the biggest sex shops of South Dakota.

 

Laura was feeling her face turning red as the thought of getting inside of a sex shop. She wanted to do that so much and even Carmilla guarantee her that she wouldn’t find anyone that she knew in there, but she could not help the feeling. She averted her eyes from the dildos aisle, getting really interested in the large selection of vibrators. She felt more comfortable then she thought she would feel inside the store. There was no sales person trying to help her and the other customers were just minding their own business.

 

She laughed at the silly jokes Carmilla made with the strap-ons and felt her stomach twitching when Carmilla took a very thing thong and placed it in their shop basket, making a very dirty smile. They got 3 different kinds of vibrators, lubes, and a “wand” that Laura was not sure the utility, but Carmilla promised her the thing would be “magical” in bed.

 

She felt very self-aware at the checkout, but the girl who attended them treated the purchased like it was a simple grocery shop. She made Carmilla storage the bag in the trunk of the car, in case some officer pulled them over. Carmilla said that was not a crime to carry sex toys, but Laura didn’t care about it.

 

A couple of hours after the sun had set, they was getting closer to the inn Laura booked on the internet. The receptionist was really nice, but she asked twice if the room was with a king bed or with a couple of queen beds. Carmilla was almost saying something nasty when Laura literally covered her mouth and confirmed it for the second time.

 

“She was almost asking if we were sisters.” Carmilla growled as they dropped their bags on the floor of their room.

“Let it go, Carm.” Laura said laying on the bed. It was very soft at least. “This will happen all the time.”

“I’m not used to this. Damn, it’s 2015.” She searched for her clean clothes on the bag.

“She wasn’t been mean, some people still think that same sex couple all look the same. Even some gay women can have a hard time buying us as a couple. We are not the stereotype, so…” She shrugged.

“This is new to me, really.” She looked at Laura. “I only hung around with Ell by the University, nobody really cared there.”

“Well, unfortunately in the outside world is not the same. In some redneck places we can’t even hold hands. Hell, even in California people can be mean.”

Carmilla huffed. “Are you sure you don’t want to go first?” Carmilla asked gesturing for the bathroom.

“Nope.” Laura took the remote control of the TV. “You go first and make the bathroom very warm for me.”

Carmilla squinted her eyes “I knew you had some second intentions, Hollis.” She shook her head. “I’m going to use all of the hot water.”

“This is a hotel, the hot water won’t be over like that.” Laura said wiggling the remote control, a sassy look on her face. Carmilla could never be really mad at her. Never.

 

**+++**

 

Laura had already made herself comfortable on the bed when Carmilla came from hotel lobby with a frozen burrito she bought on a vending machine. She stuffed the thing in the microwave and waited with her arms crossed.

“Are you really going to eat a burrito from a vending machine?”

“I can’t bare the sight of ice cream again.”

Laura just shrugged, flipping the channels on the TV. Carmilla got her warm pack of meat, rice and beans. She took a small bite with the side of her jaw, chewing gently.

“So?” Laura asked with brows raised.

“It will take forever to eat this, but it’s not that bad.” She walked to the bed and climbed on. Laura looked at her burrito with puppy eyes. “What?”

“I want a bite.”

“You mocked my burrito now you want a bite?” She took another messy bite, wincing a little with the pain in her jaw.

“Are you going to deny me, your very pregnant fiancé, a tiny little bit of your stupid burrito?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “I knew you were going to say that.” She offered the burrito to Laura. “Here, take it.”

Laura squealed, taking happily the warm wrap on her hands. “Urgh, you drooled all over it.” She said wrinkling her forehead.

“Like you never tasted my saliva.”

“Not in a burrito.” Laura ignored the gooey aspect of the burrito and took a bite. Her face kept tense as she tasted it. “It tastes like toilet paper.” She gave it back to Carmilla.

“And now you drooled on it even more.” Carmilla said gesturing to the mess Laura made on the edge of her burrito.

Laura shrugged as Carmilla ate the rest of her burrito, bite by bite. When she finished, Laura looked at her with inquisitive eyes.

“What?” Carmilla asked licking her fingers.

“Are you not going to wash your hands?”

“Why?”

“I want to cuddle with you.”

“And?”

Laura crossed her arms, keeping her face expectantly.

“Fine.” Carmilla rolled her eyes, climbing out of the bed.

 

After a minute she was back, spooning Laura. “No…” Laura whined. “I want to be the big spoon… while I can.”

Carmilla didn’t say anything she just turned to her other side, while Laura was snuggling her. Carmilla felt Laura’s face brushing her neck. After a beat, Laura was placing gentle and soft kisses on her. She felt the goose bumps forming on her skin. Laura’s hands, that were still on her stomach, started to wanderer to her flanks, making looping patterns in her skin.

“Cupcake, what are you doing?”

“I’m… sorry.” Laura said ceasing her movements.

“Don’t…” Carmilla turned to face her. “Don’t be sorry.”

“You’re not ready, I get it.”

“It’s not that… I’m the one who should be touching you but… I can only use my hands and that’s really frustrated.”

“So, you do want to have sex?”

“Of course I do, the doctor said ‘heavy lifts’ and ‘2 days’. Two days are gone and we can be ‘light’.”

Laura chuckled. “Let me do all the work. I want to.”

Carmilla didn’t say anything, she just touched Laura’s lips gently, pulling her hands to her body. Laura diverted from Carmilla’s face, placing kisses on her neck. She needed to remember herself that she could not kiss Carmilla’s jaw and cheeks. At least not the way she wanted to. 

While her mouth was sucking Carmilla’s pulse point, her hands were under her shirt, finding Carmilla’s breasts without a bra. She gently massaged both nipples, feeling them getting hard on her hands. Then she used the tip of her fingers to rub the very peak of each nipple. Carmilla was letting out low moans and Laura was feeling the dry friction of her skin. She had an idea. She released Carmilla’s nipples, getting some protesting hums. She tucked her hands inside Carmilla’s pants, reaching her very wet center. Laura brushed her fingertips on Carmilla’s lube, then retrieving her fingers to their previous location. Slowly she pressed her digits in Carmilla’s nipples, resuming her teasing.

For a moment Carmilla thought that Laura was shorting her foreplay game (something she did A LOT during their first times) and going for the final number. She was not expecting that, at all.

“Laura, fuck.” Carmilla said under her breath, as she felt Laura’s slippery fingers dancing around her nipples.

Laura giggled, looking at Carmilla’s face with the new sensation. Lately she was obsessed with watching the sexy faces Carmilla did in bed. She smiled mischievously, expecting Carmilla to look at her again, under the cozy light of the room’s lamp. When Carmilla met her gaze, Laura spread her smile, going down and reaching Carmilla’s left nipple with her mouth. She watched Carmilla closed her eyes, whimpering. She sucked the skin gently, tasting Carmilla in the process and moaning herself a bit. Two days without touching Carmilla was too much.

 

Carmilla’s hands was grasping her hair, brushing the strands at few moments Laura was being more gentle. She moved to the other nipple, just touching it with the tip of her tongue, flickering for so long that Carmilla chest was jerking under her. She finished her teasing giving a last suck, kissing her way back to Carmilla’s neck. Her hands were sneaking down, making it’s ways inside Carmilla’s pants.

 

“Why are you wearing so many clothes?” She whined in Carmilla’s ear.

Carmilla only answered with a whimper, as Laura was climbing out of the bed to take Carmilla’s pants and panties in a fast motion, tossing it on the floor. She took the opportunity to take all of her clothes, letting them all on the same pile as Carmilla’s. She climbed back to the bed, sitting by Carmilla’s side and pulling her shirt out, as she laid on her side, taking a moment to make herself comfortable in that position. Carmilla was taking some breaths, turning to face Laura, her hands grabbing Laura’s ass.

Laura placed on hand in Carmilla’s shoulder, creating a distance between them. She kissed Carmilla gently on her lips, as her right hand was taking Carmilla’s left that was on her butt. She closed Carmilla’s hand in a fist, pulling only her index finger out.

“I want to do something different.” She said looking in the burning gaze of Carmilla. Her fiancé just nodded and Laura made her smile widen.

She guided Carmilla’s finger to her center, tracing her folds, circling them up and down. Carmilla let out a moan, closing her eyes. Then Laura guided her finger further, teasing her entrance, until she penetrated deeply. Carmilla let out a muffled moan, opening her eyes again, staring Laura with a burning desire. Laura moved Carmilla’s fingers, thrusting her in and out in a pace she knew Carmilla loved. She released Carmilla’s hand, using her own idle fingers to brush Carmilla’s clit. Carmilla kept thrusting on her own, with her hips helping with the motions.

 

She kept this routine until she got some more intense moans from Carmilla. Then she approached her hand again, covering her fist and inserting her index finger in Carmilla, thrusting both fingers and a faster pace. Carmilla was lost in sensations, her eyes closed in oblivion. Laura decreased the space between their faces, gently licking Carmilla’s lips. Carmilla parted her lips and Laura was making her way gingerly, brushing her tongue lightly inside Carmilla’s, her hands never stopping to thrust. Carmilla’s tongue reacted a bit, meeting Laura’s in the hollow and narrow space between their mouths.

Laura was feeling Carmilla’s hips trembling, her walls closing around her finger. She tilted her head up, breaking the contact with Carmilla’s mouth, concentrating her efforts in her hands, one making Carmilla steady, the other taking her to the edge. Carmilla’s right hand, that was holding her ass, gave Laura rough squeeze, as Carmilla was finally reaching her orgasm.

After the final moan and the spasms, Carmilla was laying on her back, while Laura was brushing her clit, bringing another round of quivers and twitches. Carmilla whimpered, grabbing the sheets around her, arching her back. When the last wave was gone, she covered her face, panting and breathless. Laura licked her fingers, while she waited for Carmilla to regain her strength.

 

“God, Laura… what the hell was that?”

Laura cleaned her throat. “Was that… multiple orgasms?” She said smugly.

Carmilla turned and faced her. “Come here.” She pulled Laura to her side. “I just want to kiss you hard so much.”

Laura kept her smugly smile, raising her eyebrows expectantly. Carmilla smiled back shyly. “Yes it was.” She kissed Laura’s lips gently, the only way she could. “You can try new things whenever you want.”

“Good to know.” Laura giggled caressing Carmilla’s bare shoulder.

“It’s your turn now.” Carmilla said with her raspy voice, bringing Laura closer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the abrupt end, but I was too tired to write more and I didn't want to delay more this chapter. I'll make it up to you in the next.


	25. A Sky Full Of Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last part of Carmilla's and Laura's road trip brings them to a different level in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The start happen right after the end of last chapter. 
> 
> And thank you VERY MUCH for more than 500 little hearts from you!

**Chapter 25 – A Sky Full Of Stars**

 

Carmilla grabbed Laura ass, touching her shoulder lightly with her lips. She could not suck or move her tongue with much force, cause every rough movement in her mouth would bring pain to her. She was feeling Laura starting to rock her hips, creating a friction between their centers. But it was not enough. She rolled Laura to her back, placing her thigh between Laura’s leg, giving her more contact. Laura whimpered, wrapping her hands around Carmilla’s neck. Carmilla had an idea. She spread Laura’s leg, pulling her right leg up, while she turned to her side, raising her right leg and intertwining with Laura’s, propping her weigh on her left knee.

 

Laura opened her eyes widen when realized what Carmilla was doing: realizing another item in her list. She felt their clits and folds touching in a very wet hug. It felt just amazing. Amazing. Carmilla rocked her hips once, and Laura was among the clouds. It was just perfect. Perfect. Carmilla rolled her hips again. Laura was feeling the stream of wetness between them increasing. She was not sure if it was her or Carmilla or both, getting freaking aroused. But her hot and wet hug fell apart, as Carmilla lost her balance, tumbling to the side.

 

“Wow, sorry, Cupcake.” She said laughing, with her leg awkwardly spread over Laura’s torso.

Laura’s frustration broke into a wave of laughs, when she noticed how dorky and clumsy they were tangled. “We are two silly goofys.”

 

They kept laughing as they tried to return to the same position, now falling to the other side of the bed. Carmilla pulled her leg down, crawling back to Laura. “I think we should keep with the basics for now.”

Laura furrowed her brows “Nooo, it was so good as it lasted. Let’s try again.”

Carmilla smiled apologetic “I was afraid to hurt you, that’s why I lost balance.” She touched Laura’s belly. “I was afraid to hurt him.”

Laura closed eyes and nodded. “Okay, you are right. Let’s try this when it’s safer. For the both of us.”

Carmilla pressed her lips in a thin line, smiling shyly. “Well it was really good as is lasted. Our juices merging in one very hot and very wet meeting.” She said in a low tone, making Laura react with pleaded eyes.

“Hold that thought.” She said grabbing Carmilla’s hips and rolling her to the side.

“What?” Carmilla was looking with curios eyes to Laura, as her fiancé was getting a pillow and tucking it under Carmilla’s ass.

“So much better now.” She said crawling on bed, pulling Carmilla’s legs over her shoulders and adding another pillow under her belly. She dived between her legs, taking in all wetness in her face.

Carmilla jerked with the sensations in her sensitive clit after the short, but effective, friction. “This was supposed to be your turn, Cupcake.”

Laura didn’t say anything in return, she just made her best, licking and sucking every corner of Carmilla’s folds, sucking her entrance with such desire that Carmilla was seeing stars under her eyelids. She finalized her suction introducing her tongue deep inside Carmilla, alternating between hard and soft thrusts.

 

Carmilla tugged Laura’s hair in a way to show her partner how much she was loving all of that. Laura responded repeating her motions eagerly with her hands wrapped around Carmilla’s thighs. She finished her act with her tongue flickering Carmilla’s clit, making her convulsing. She crawled back to her side of the bed, looking with satisfied eyes to Carmilla panting by her side.

“You sho… you should let… me do you.” Carmilla said regaining her breath.

“So you didn’t like it?” Laura said sarcastically.

“That’s not… what I… meant.”

“So, what did you mean, delicious lady?” Laura said in her ear.

 

Carmilla grabbed her smugly face and shoved her tongue inside Laura’s mouth. It hurt so good. She pulled away debating on her mind what to do next. Her hand was making her way down Laura’s body, brushing her way until her center. Carmilla closed her eyes feeling Laura very slippery between her fingers. She opened her eyes, reading the desire plastered in Laura’s face, asking for something. For some action.

 

Carmilla removed her hands, gently licking her fingers. That was just amazing. She extended her hand down to reach Laura again, never breaking eye contact. As she touched Laura, she was reading every reaction, exactly like Laura did you her. That was something sexy about that, she could not name it or describe it precisely, all she knew is that her heart, stomach and guts was align in some kind of harmony. She felt whole and alive, as she looked into Laura eyes. Laura was her focus. Laura, and only Laura. She inserted index and middle finger, watching Laura closing her eyes for a second, and opening again, as Carmilla was thrusting in and out.

 

Laura held more firmly in Carmilla’s hips, laying on her side as she was letting her body react freely to Carmilla. She felt this connection between them, like she never felt before. It was strong and intimate. It was like they were communicating with glances and touches, no word was necessary. As Carmilla was progressing with her movements in and out, Laura felt her thumb rubbing her clit. Her eyelids almost drop completely.

 

Carmilla opened a smile, Laura was biting her lower lip. Her hips started to rock against Carmilla’s hand, making everything feel even better. Carmilla’s free hand touched her jaw, her fingers dancing in the lines of her lips. Laura opened her mouth, taking in Carmilla’s index finger. It still tasted incredible. She sucked her finger, watching as Carmilla was opening her own mouth, not even noticing how her lips were repeating her hands movements.

 

Laura wanted to felt like that forever. That was so good and so perfect. She didn’t need an end or something stronger. But the waves on her body was increasing, her core getting warmer, her motions erratic. She wanted to kiss Carmilla so bad. It was the only thing missing in that perfect symphony of two bodies combusting. Her hips were decreasing the pace, in an attempt to make the sensation last for more time. She could not feel the seconds or the minutes passing through the night. She had no idea for how long they pleasing each other on that bed, and never cared to know.

 

She kept her eyes opened as the big wave hit her hard. Carmilla changed her expression, turning into something like devotion. And then Laura could name another thing she was feeling so intensely: safety. She never felt so safe in someone arms. Not even in the 5 years she shared with Danny, she felt a tenth of that.

 

Carmilla held her with so much love and affection, only breaking the eye contact that they sustaining for so long, to rest her forehead against Laura’s, feeling the warm breaths coming from her mouth. Carmilla removed her finger from Laura’s mouth, caressing her cheek again and brushing her hair away. She closed her eyes, as her lips were touching Laura’s very gently.

 

Laura displayed a large smile pressing her body against Carmilla’s in an intense hug. All the feelings and emotions were still vivid in their minds, printed in the contact of their skins. All the hard work of the night was taking a toll on their bodies, making space to the sleepiness invading their thoughts. All they could remember, in the last moments of conscience on that night, before drifting to a deep sleep, was how much they needed each other.

 

**+++**

 

They woke up at 10 in the next morning. Laura decided to let them sleep a little later, after what happened last night. She reset her phone alarm, after she woke up at 5 to pee, still hugging Carmilla in the same position. She returned to bed spooning Carmilla like she wanted, being the big spoon. Their morning were lazy. She played with Carmilla’s fingers while she was taking extra minutes to wake up. She placed some wet kisses on Carmilla’s nape, making her finally open her eyes, just to turn and hug Laura again, asking for more minutes in bed.

 

“We need to leave, Carm, or we are losing breakfast and the hotel check-out time. I don’t want to be late and spend more than we need in here.”

“Alright, I’m coming.” She said releasing Laura. She knew how hard it was to be a responsible person. But she needed to be one.

 

As they took breakfast with all bags packed again, they felt some change in their dynamics. It was something in the air, something about how they made love last night. They could not leave each other’s hand, keeping some sort of physical contact all the time. Even when Laura was driving, Carmilla’s hand was resting over her thigh, as she was half sleep on the passenger seat. And when Laura felt safe enough, she took her right hand from the wheel and grabbed Carmilla’s to place a soft kiss.

 

They were spending so much time together lately, that she was feeling her heart suffocated at the thought of starting their old routines when they returned to their “real life” in Silas. They barely saw each other before Carmilla’s heart problem. So she decided to make the best of that road trip and share some happy moments with Carmilla, without the stress of their daily routine.

 

She drove for 3 hours straight before stopping in the first resting area of the day. It took less time for Carmilla to wake up, with her eyelids half closed, but the tender smile never left her face. Laura thought how sometimes it was strange to see Carmilla smiling, especially when she was sleepy. Mornings were the moments for a perfect broody Carmilla demeanor. But not today.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Cupcake?” Carmilla asked while having a strawberry smooth. “Did I spill something on my face?” She fumbled her face looking for something.

Laura chuckled. “There is nothing on your face. I’m just…” She shrugged. “Seeing how beautiful you are.”

Carmilla blushed a little. “You are the pretty one, not me. I’m just the lucky girl.”

Laura pulled Carmilla’s hand kissing her cheeks gently as they were sitting in the food court row of tables. “We are both lucky. And you are the prettier.”

Carmilla sighed. “When did we become so cheese?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Laura kissed her lips briefly.

 

They finished their snacks and returned to the car holding hands, giving no attention to some curious or nasty looks around them. Carmilla took the lead, driving this time. When Laura was distracted looking at the landscapes around them, she brushed her belly by instinct.

“I’ve spend a long time without talking to him.” Carmilla said with eyes on the road.

“You can talk now.” Laura said turning to Carmilla.

“Talking and driving?” She raised her shoulders. “It’s kind of strange. I like when I’m closer.”

“He will listen to you.”

“But it’s not the same.”

Laura shrugged.

“I can’t think of anything PG-13 for you now, little guy, I’m sorry.”

“What are you thinking so much, that you can’t share with your son?”

“Well, I’ll have to ask him to cover his ears to say.”

Laura smiled imagining what Carmilla was thinking. “Last night was so amazing and I’m not really sure why.”

“It’s because we almost scissoring?” Carmilla said aloof.

“Carm!”

“I know what you mean, Cupcake.” She looked to Laura with a shy smile. “I felt it too.”

Laura smiled warmly, resting her hand again in Carmilla’s thigh, squeezing it. Another comfortable silence filled the air and now was Laura’s turn to fall asleep in the car.

 

When Laura opened her eyes again they were closer to their second stop. They had a late lunch and Carmilla would drive them for the next 3 hours to the next and last hotel of their trip. In the next morning they would be closer to the Grand Canyon.

 

“So, do you think this is better than the airplane ride?” Laura asked Carmilla when they returned to the road.

“Oh, much better.” She looked briefly to Laura from the corner of her eyes. “What about you, are you enjoying this?”

“Of course I am. You are here with me.”

 

After more fluffy talk, Laura fell asleep, only waking up hours later, when the sun was already set. She looked at her surroundings, then to her phone. It was late and they were not in the highway.

“Carm, where are we?”

“I’m not sure.” Carmilla said disguising her jitters. She pointed to the car GPS screen. “We were supposed to be on I-15 but I guess we took some sort of shortcut.”

“How long are we in this route?”

“I don’t know… 1 hour?”

“One hour!? She snapped. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You were sleeping so peacefully…”

“Damn, Carmilla, pull over!” Laura took her phone again, scrolling the pages of her itinerary.

 

Carmilla saw some sort of small road on the way and turned right, heading inside of a field. After a while she stopped the car and killed the engine. All she wanted was to avoid that situation, the stress, the rage and the screams. But Laura was beyond that.

 

With her eyes furrowed and a stiff body, she looked to the darkness of the night and opened the car door. She set herself free from her seatbelt and walked in the dry grass and solid dirty surrounding them. Laura was still concentrated in find their location. But in that moment, all Carmilla could pay attention was the infinity number of stars in the wide sky above them. So many stars. She took a deep breath, feeling the cool air of the desert night, bringing some chills and some comfort to her.

 

A timid smile were returning to her face. She forgot about the petty things that were bothering her and she turned and looked to the tiny ball of rage that was Laura, gesturing with her arms, wrinkled forehead, eyes concentrated on her phone. She walked around the car and placed her hands on both sides of the passenger window, and hunched down a bit, keeping her eyes trained on Laura. After a few moments Laura looked to her left, not finding Carmilla there. It took her a while to see her fiancé just standing still by her window, with an unreadable expression. As Laura furrowed her eyes, looking more attentive to Carmilla, she could notice some sort of smile in her. Yes, a smile. She lowered her window.

 

“What it’s so funny, Carmilla? We are lost in the middle of nowhere and you are having fun looking at my face?”

Carmilla held her smile to spread, biting her lower lip. “Come here with me.”

“We can’t waste time… this can be dangerous-“

“Laura, come on.” Carmilla stepped back from the door, looking expectantly to Laura. The simple use of her name made Laura a little self conscious.

She twisted her face in a annoying but rendered look. She opened her door and step out of the car. Carmilla was offering her hand and Laura took it. They walked to the front of the car, and Carmilla sat on the hood, bringing her fiancé with her. Laura finally paid attention to what Carmilla was trying to show her. Something that she could never see in the city. Or next to a highway. She leaned in Carmilla, who was wrapping her arms around her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. The darkness and silence made the moment so intimate. The warmth of Carmilla holding her made her nerves to relax, feeling the safety she forgot a few minutes ago. And nothing else mattered.

 

“I’m sorry for freaking out.” She said with a weak voice.

“Sorry for getting us lost.” Carmilla said almost like a whisper in her ear.

 

They looked at bright stars above them, forgetting for a while all of their problems. In the end, they realized that they just needed a new perspective. Laura turned to Carmilla, burring her face in the crook of her neck, entangle her arms around her back. She could listen Carmilla’s heart beating gently. She felt her whole body melting in that hug, her heart reaching the same rhythm. If the place was not too cold, she would be in there for so much longer. Maybe forever, if it was possible. But then again, real life called her. Or better saying, her tiny human, kicked her right around her navel. Carmilla felt that too.

“Someone is inpatient.” She chuckled. “I think it’s genetic.”

Laura looked her up, snorting a humorous complain. “I think he is saying he likes this moment too.”

“I think you’re right.” She touched Laura’s chin gently placing a sweet kiss on her lips. “Did you notice we are parked in a harvested rye field?”

Laura looked down for a moment “I wasn’t even aware of the stars when we pulled over.”

Laura shivered with the cool wind blowing. “Let’s get inside again?” Carmilla suggested.

Laura nodded kissing Carmilla one last time. They returned to the car with a different vibe. Laura reset the car GPS and they got their right location. The hotel was one hour and a half away from there. Carmilla drove back to the road and they headed to the highway, still displaying a happy smile in their faces all the way down.

 

**+++**

 

The arrival at the hotel happened without any stressful event. They just dropped their baggage on the floor and went straight to the bathroom. They showered together, trading some tender kisses under the hot water. The space was too small for something else. But they left the bathroom only to meet again under the white sheets of the large and soft bed of their room. They made love again, this time Carmilla made sure to make Laura come twice, before Laura was going down on her. Nothing felt too much in that night.

 

But their bodies were complaining again after too many hours without a proper meal. Carmilla called the reception desk asking for some food options. She got a phone from a pizza delivery and ordered 2 pizzas for them. They finally got dressed and Laura used the moment to check her emails, while they waited for the pizzas. She was resting her head on Carmilla’s lap, receiving a scalp massage.

“Riley.” Carmilla said out of nowhere. “Did you like it?”

Laura chuckled. “Because of the field?”

“I loved that place. I think he loved too.”

“Riley.” Laura said. It sounded like a good name. It was gender neutral, had a connection to a meaningful moment of their trip and their lives, in a way. “I think we finally got it.” She turned to Carmilla smiling. Carmilla smiled back. “Second name?”

“Well, let’s get used to this one first, huh?” Carmilla suggested.

“Okay.” Laura looked down again, patting her belly.

 

**+++**

 

Just after a few minutes driving in the Sunday morning, they reached the Grand Canyon. They walked around the place like two happy kids. They took a lot of selfies and Laura even asked for a tourist to take a picture of both of them with the canyon in the background. They didn’t do anything else, because they needed to be back in Silas in that same day. But they enjoyed some minutes of total silence, just looking at the vast desert in front of them.

 

Carmilla drove all the rest of the 9 hours until Silas, making 3 stops along the way. Laura wanted to drive too, but Carmilla assumed the task. Laura would be back at work on the next day, but Carmilla still had another week before her would return to the drugstore. At least in theory, because she had other plans for another future job.

 

The week away from home felt like a month. The place was shinning like new, and they knew that Perry and Lafontaine did it again. Laura called them thanking and at the same time complaining for spoiling them too much. After a cozy shower in their familiar bathroom, they dropped on their very missing bed. It was not so soft like the beds on the hotels they went to, but it was much better than any of them.

 

**+++**

 

After Laura left in the morning for her work, Carmilla started her mission: to find a new job. She made a tour through the best bars of town, hoping that her bad fame would had been put aside. She filled some forms but got no interview so far. In the middle of the afternoon she got a text from Laura.

 **Cupcake (1:36pm)** I miss you so much :(

She took a deep breath, feeling the same void in her heart.

 **Carmilla (1:36pm)** I miss you too, my grumpy Cupcake

 **Cupcake (1:37pm)** I’m not grumpy, you’re the grumpy one, Ms Broody :p

 **Carmilla (1:37pm)** I can sense your good mood from miles, you’re right

 **Cupcake (1:37pm)** Yes, I am!

Carmilla laughed and texted Laura back, poking her a little more until Laura had to leave for a meeting.

 

At night, she welcome Laura with dinner, the past Perry bought her in that strange day. She looked for the recipe on the internet and took the rest of the day to do grocery shop and to cooking.

“Guess what?” Laura said during dinner. “We hired a new assistant!”

“Hum… and who is your new minion? What I mean is, do I have to be jealous?”

Laura chuckled. “Only if you have lost your mind.” Carmilla looked attentive to her. “Not only because we hired a man, but also because this man is your friend and now your ex-colleague, Wilson Kirsch.”

Carmilla widen her eyes. “Kirsch, really?!”

“Yeah, Perry and I were getting a hard time to found someone again, and I remembered how Kirsch was so nice to us, so I told about him to Perry and she made a call.” Laura took a sip from her water. “He was there the entire week making tests and interviews, and I got to say, he is not so smart with computers and spreadsheets, but he is very good dealing with people, which is about 80% of our work, so…” She shrugged.

“Well, good for him… and for you. Kirsch have a lot of potential, he just need the right push.”

“Yeah, I feel that too. And, not that I think that women can’t do anything, because we can, but it’s good to have some muscles around, the heavy part of our work was getting too heavy for me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

 

They watched some TV before heading to the bedroom. Laura wanted to be the big spoon again, and Carmilla was almost kicking herself when Laura started to kiss her neck. They were both very tired, but for some reason, Laura was missing Carmilla’s hands too much. Carmilla turned and took control of the situation, touching Laura the way she wanted. It was simple, but effective. She was still not much comfortable with her mouth situation, but she was making the best use of her hands. Laura’s legs were wrapped around her waist when she was coming with Carmilla’s fingers on her clit, and her mouth gently nipping her neck.

 

She rested her body in that same position, comfortable buried in her pillows. Carmilla was almost fallen asleep when she felt Laura’s hands grabbing her ass and making their way inside her pants.

“Cupcake, I’m on my period… I’m sorry.” She said with eyes still closed. Laura removed her hands from her pants and brushed her hair. Carmilla opened her eyes, finding Laura with a pout. “What?”

“Why didn’t you say anything before? This is not fair.”

“You should not be the one complaining.” She smiled weakly. “You can return the favor in 5 days.”

“Five days? Carmilla, no…”

“Carmilla, yes…” She approached Laura again and kissed her lips softly. “Don’t be mad, I’m fine.”

“We can do it in the bathtub, you only need to take a shower first, then dip in the filled tub right away. And I can touch you the way you want.”

Carmilla made a thinking face. Laura wrinkled her forehead in surprise. “Have you never had sex on your period days?” Laura asked.

“No.” Carmilla said serious. Laura giggled. “What?”

“We finally found something that I did but you didn’t. Guess you don’t know everything, huh?”

Carmilla shrugged. “Well, I’ve never been with someone so eager to please me, even when I was on my period.”

Laura noticed the sad tone on her speech and wrapped her arms around Carmilla again. “Well, you are now.” She whispered.

Carmilla smiled timidly and Laura brushed her hair again, until both of them fell asleep completely.

 

**+++**

 

In the next day Laura left early. Carmilla spent most of the day working on her new novel. It was something completely different from anything she had made so far. She wasn’t aiming to please her readers, just to be the most honest she could be. It was about her. And about Laura. But mostly about what they meant for each other. Their relationship was something she never expected to have in her life, ever. It was more significant that all of her one night stands, affairs and even what she had with Ell. But it was not an easy task to put in words what she felt about Laura, or what their relationship meant for her. But she tried anyway.

 

An hour before Laura was coming home, she got a text with very specific instructions for their evening. She could not deny that when Laura got her mind into something, she became very determined to accomplish that, no matter what it was.

 

She was half sleeping in her bathtub when she felt a pair of fingers walking on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and met Laura on her business attire and a very mischievous smile, sat on the edge of the tub.

“You are a very good girl, Carmilla Karnstein.” She said with a teasing voice.

Carmilla opened her eyes widen. “How was your day, Creampuff?”

“Very boring. I was thinking about you in that tub all day.”

Carmilla was already feeling the chills on her spine only with that statement. She gulped dry, looking at Laura taking off piece by piece of her clothes, dropping them on the floor. She tied her hair up in a bun, and headed for the shower.

“I’ll be right back.” She said before disappearing from Carmilla’s sight.

 

The shower was on the opposite side of Carmilla’s field of view. She moved on the tub, changing sides and watched Laura washing herself behind the fog glass of the shower. That was more effective than foreplays to make her aroused.

 

Laura stepped out from the shower dripping water all over the floor. Any other moment she would be freaking about that. But in that moment, she only cared about Carmilla very naked and very relaxed in that tub. She lit the candles she asked Carmilla to place there, turning off the bathroom pale light.

Carmilla took a last look at her vagina entrance, making sure there was no blood to ruin that very sexy moment. Laura was right, under the water she would not “bleed.” 

When she looked up, Laura was making her way inside of the tub, leaning above her. She laid over Carmilla very carefully. Carmilla pulled her closer, making her relax her body and her fear to smash her. Carmilla noticed lately how Laura was self conscious about her weigh, always afraid to hurt Carmilla somehow. It was not that much of a difference, really.

She started to kiss Carmilla’s neck languidly, nipping the skin on her shoulders, while her free hand was massaging the breasts. When she felt the first moans, she looked up biting Carmilla’s lower lip, licking her tongue very briefly, before she lowered herself again, kissing the middle of her breasts. The place more kisses, making Carmilla arching her chest.

They didn’t have much light, it was more of an instinct driven moment, with touches and sounds dictating the rhythm of their movements. As Laura presses her parted lips in one of Carmilla’s nipples, her right hand was travelling to her center, finding her very swollen clit. Carmilla arched again, grasping Laura’s back and scratching her back a little more intensely than she intended. But Laura didn’t even winced once, she just kept working with her mouth and hand. She debated internally if she should use her finger to penetrate Carmilla. She didn’t mind the blood that would be wrapped around her fingers, but she was afraid Carmilla would feel uncomfortable with that.

She tested the territory teasing Carmilla’s entrance with her middle finger, while her thumb brushed the clit. Slowly she inserted her finger, receiving a content moan from Carmilla. She kissed Carmilla’s cleavage again, making her way to the other breast, as her finger was moving very slippery inside Carmilla. She sucked the nipple over and over, until she sucked it hard, releasing with a loud pop. She looked at Carmilla again, finding her head tilted back in pure pleasure. She approached her face again, sprinkling light kisses on her chin and jaw, while her second finger joined the first. Carmilla opened her eyes, meeting Laura’s for a second. She raised her right leg, making her thigh touching Laura’s center. 

Using the same pace Laura was thrusting in her, Carmilla grabbed her fiancé torso, helping her to rock her hips against her thigh. Laura almost lost the control of her hands, but she kept the motions steady, making Carmilla come inside the water.

As Carmilla was getting her breath back, she pulled Laura to laid with her back on her chest. Carmilla kept Laura in place, feeling like she was the luckiest girl in the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More cheesy and sexy moments, as promissed:)
> 
> theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com


	26. She Works Hard For The Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirsch finally asks Carmilla for his favor, and she ended up doing some unexpected work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday, everybody!
> 
> I'm glad to announce that I have a beta now!  
> This is the first chapter corrected by Robin, you can find her in her tumblr page right here:  
> http://fallenforathunderclap.tumblr.com/

**Chapter 26 - She Works Hard For The Money**

 

“You look so happy lately.” Perry commented as Laura entered the office on Wednesday morning.

Laura sat down at the table in the break corner, where Perry was serving them breakfast. Kirsch and Lafontaine were out shopping for office supplies.

“Well, it’s because _I am_ happy.” Laura said, making her smile even wider.

“So the trip, was really that good? We’ve barely had time to talk about it.”

“It was perfect, honestly.” Laura took her mug of cocoa. Perry never stopped acting like a mother to her.

“I can see that Carmilla makes you very happy, more than Danny ever did.” Perry admitted.

“I don’t like to complain about Danny, but yes, Carmilla is perfect.” She giggled. “Well, not _perfect_ perfect, of course. She’s kind of lazy and she’s messy. Sometimes she’s rude with people, but she is perfect… for me. She’s so hard and broody on the outside but on the inside she’s a big softie and a romantic. Even more than I am.”

“Kind of hard to imagine that, from what I’ve seen of Carmilla, but I believe you.” Perry said gently, pouring herself some coffee.

“There’s so much you don’t know, Perry.” Laura sighed. “She’s always gentle with me, even when I’m being impossible. She talks to our unborn son every day, even when she’s tired and half asleep. And she never complains when I use her as a human pillow… she’s so kind and so loving.”

Perry patted Laura’s hand. “I’m so happy for you, sweetie. I never thought that Carmilla would be a perfect fit for you.”

“Yeah, perfect in every way.” Laura gave her a sassy look.

Perry’s eyebrows rose curiously “What do you mean?”

“Well, I feel a little embarrassed talking about it. But I have to confess that I’m having the best sex of my life with her.” Laura commented, blushing. Perry was her best friend but they never talked much about sex.

“Really?” Perry’s eyes widened in shock. “Who would have thought?”

“Yeah…” Laura bit her lower lip. “You know, Danny was a little dull in bed, but Carmilla is totally the opposite. She just… she rocks my world.”

Perry blushed a little too. “Well, that is great Laura, just great.”

 

**+++**

 

After spending the whole week trying to find a new job, Carmilla was tired. Her mood only improved at night when Laura was talking about all sorts of things and hugging her. They also talked about the nursery and Carmilla knew that her plan for the house was going to be delayed. Mr. Hollis arrived Friday with Laura’s crib and some other stuff they saved from the attic. Their guest bedroom was getting crowded with the new mess.

Laura was nervous about Saturday, because they had a big wedding to deal with at the I Do Wedding Planning. Carmilla helped her to relieve the stress with a very long session of “hormone control.” But in the morning, Carmilla woke up alone in her cold bed.

She was lazily eating a bowl of cereal when her phone rang; it was a call from an unknown number

 

**+++**

 

A few minutes after the promising call, Carmilla got a text.

 **Kirsch (10:30am)** You awake?

 **Carmilla (10:31am)** Yes, why?

 **Kirsch (10:31am)** Remember that favor you owe me? I need it now.

 **Carmilla (10:31am)** And what would that be, meathead?

 **Kirsch (10:32am)** I need you to be at this place in 30 minutes, it’s important

 **Carmilla (10:32am)** To do what?

 **Kirsch (10:32am)** Serve tables and stuff

 **Carmilla (10:32am)** Is that for the big wedding you are working on today?

 **Kirsch (10:33am)** Yeah! A ton of people is missing and we have so many people to serve

 **Kirsch (10:33am)** Your chick is going crazy here

 **Carmilla (10:33am)** So that’s why she hasn’t texted me yet today

 **Kirsch (10:34am)** Dude, are you coming or not?

 **Carmilla (10:34am)** Yes I’m coming, don’t be such an ass! Give me the address.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla got a cab and arrived at a fancy country club. She saw the people swarming like worker ants all over the place. Kirsch asked her to enter through a back door and, after almost getting lost, she finally found her friend with a headset mic.

“Hey Carmilla, over here bro!” Kirsch was gesturing for her. “Here, you have to use this, there’s a locker room in the back. Be back here in 5 for the instructions.” He said as Carmilla approached him.

“You know I’m not very good with this thing, right?”

“Dude, you used to be a bartender. It’s pretty much the same, just with rich people.”

“Does Laura know I’m here?”

“I don’t think so? She just told me to find people who could get the job done and I thought of you.”

“How very kind of you.” She said sarcastically, looking at the outfit in her hands. Black pants, a white dress shirt, a black tie and a pair of shiny black shoes.

“Hurry! If something is too big or too small I can get you a different size.”

She tilted her head slightly to the side, examining the clothes. “Strangely, I think you got it right.”

 

She walked to the locker room, brooding the entire way there, and found an empty stall to change her clothes. Everything fit perfectly. She looked at herself in a mirror and she kind of liked the outfit.

“Are you Carmilla?” She looked up, seeing a middle-aged brunette woman wearing the same outfit as her but using a headset mic like Kirsch.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“You look almost perfect, come here.” She said pulling Carmilla by her wrist. “You can keep your clothes in one of those lockers.” She pointed to a row of lockers in the middle of the place. She took Carmilla to another part of the big locker room, where some people were getting makeup and the hair done. 

“Hey Daisy, this is Carmilla, make her look good, okay?” She said talking to one of the girls rushing with clothes and makeup in front of a counter with a big mirror and a wide selection of makeup gear and hair accessories. She looked at Carmilla again. “When you finish here, meet the rest of us on the common room.”

She left and Carmilla looked confused. The makeup girl was leading her to the chair. “Where is this common room?” Carmilla asked as the girl was already applying makeup on her face.

“I’ll take you there.” Said the girl in the next chair, turning to Carmilla. “My name is Kelly, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Carmilla said greeting the other girl with a handshake.

 

After her makeup was done, Carmilla followed the nice brunette to the common room, which was a wide ballroom decorated like the interior of a medieval castle. Carmilla counted fifteen other people dressed like her.

 

Jane, the tall woman who had approached her in the locker room, entered with Kirsch tagging behind her; She had elegant posture, speaking loudly but not screaming. It seemed that leadership came naturally to her. She thanked everybody for being in there and said that the wedding was happening in a church, right in that moment, and the groomsmen and guests would be there in 20 minutes. She gave another motivational speech and instructions for what they would be serving that evening.

 

Carmilla’s focus on the speech was broken the moment she saw Laura coming, also wearing a headset mic with her phone and a small stack of papers in her hands. She seemed distracted, talking to someone on the headset.

“As you know, we are again working with the lovely people from ‘I Do Wedding Planning’. Ms. Laura Hollis here will be responsible for supervising everything related to food, drinks and the restrooms.” She looked at Laura, who was getting her attention back to the group.

“Hello everybody!” Laura said in her upbeat tone, looking at the faces of each one of the waiters. “I know that I always say that it’s a very important day, but today I’m not exaggerating…” And then she finally looked at Carmilla.

Carmilla smiled timidly, crossing her arms. Laura lost her train of thought, first at the surprise of seeing her fiancé among to waiters and second at her outfit and presentation. She smiled goofily to Carmilla, with her mouth still open.

“But. Um. As I was saying.” She cleaned her throat looking to the ceiling. “I’m sorry, there must be something in my throat.” She hummed a little more and composed herself again. “This is the biggest wedding we’ve done so far and we need to be extra focused on the guests’ needs.”

 

Carmilla held her smirk back, biting her lower lip. She’d never seen Laura working on a wedding before and she loved what she saw. After Laura talked a little more, wishing everyone good luck, she dismissed the waiters. Before everybody started to walk away Laura made a gesture to Carmilla who stayed still, waiting to be alone with Laura.

 

Laura approached slowly as Kirsch and Jane were leaving. “What are you doing here? You look so hot!”

“I could say the same about you, Cupcake.” Carmilla said not holding back her smirk anymore.

“Oh, did Kirsch call you? I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was talking about you when he said he had the problem covered.”

“Yeah, well I owed him a favor, so.” She shrugged. “Here I am.”

Laura was going to give a kiss on Carmilla’s lips when she realized the obvious. “Oh crap, I’m sorry.” She looked apologetic to Carmilla. “We need to be very professional here; no kisses, no PDA, no Cupcake or any edible nickname.”

“Can I look at you?” Carmilla asked snarkily. 

“This is serious, Carm! I mean, Carmilla. And until the end of the service I’m only Laura, okay?”

Carmilla nodded. “Okay, Laura.” Her eyes got a glimpse of Laura’s hands. She did a double take “And apparently you’re also single as well.”

Laura widened her eyes in surprise, the apologetic smile back on her face. “Oh, that…” She looked at her bare left hand. “I’m so nervous that my hands swelled and the ring almost got stuck. I had to take it off or I’d lose my finger.”

Carmilla felt a little bad for the accusation she had been about to make. Laura was really nervous, and her hands were indeed bigger than the usual. “It’s alright, Cupcake.” She closed her eyes for a second. “Laura… Damn it, I hate this.”

“I can get someone to cover you, if don’t feel up to it.” Laura said looking at her phone.

Carmilla held her hand. Laura felt a little shiver with the touch. “Don’t. I don’t mean I don’t want to be here, it’s just…” She removed her hand from Laura’s. “It’ll be hard to keep up this distance.”

“I know.” Laura looked at her with puppy eyes. “It’s just for a few hours, then we’ll head home together to do whatever we want.”

Carmilla gave her a half smile, managing to hold back the urge to kiss Laura. “Okay.”

Laura nodded. It was hard to step away from Carmilla like that; it was like she was magnetized to her. “I got to go, good luck.”

“You too.”

Laura smiled widened as she stepped back slowly. “Thanks.”

Carmilla took a deep breath as she watched Laura disappear behind the doors. She looked at the back door and headed to her duties.

 

**+++**

 

In the kitchen, Carmilla received more instructions from Jane. Kelly volunteered to explain the specifics to her. After a few minutes the bride and groom arrived, as well the hundreds of guest with a very focused Perry and Lafontaine by her side. The pair was taking care of things in the church and now was leading things in ballroom, with the host, band, groomsmen and family. It was a lot to coordinate. Carmilla was admired at the hard work they did at the backstage of a wedding.

 

Serving people like that was a new experience to Carmilla. Some people were very polite to her. Some acted like she didn’t exist. Others looked at her like she was there to bother, not to serve. Some complained, others complimented, but in general all went smoothly. She got some interested looks, from men and women. Some of them noticed her ring but didn’t care. Carmilla just swore in her mind and kept her polite smile. Even though she was there as a favor to Kirsch she was doing it for Laura. Laura, meanwhile, was a ball of stress, running from one side to the other with a nervous smile. It was hard for Carmilla to focus on what she was doing when Laura was around her. Their eyes met a few times and Carmilla always smiled to Laura when that happened. She noticed that Laura relaxed slightly whenever their eyes caught.

 

But what was hard to ignore was a bridesmaid who was glancing to her at every opportunity or touching her hands or her arms when Carmilla was serving her table. She even approached Carmilla when she was about to enter the kitchen with empty trays in hand. She asked about the bathroom, playing dumb and making Carmilla guide her to the very door of the women restrooms. She made a suggestion for Carmilla to follow her, but Carmilla said she really needed to return to the kitchen or she would be fired. The girl with golden hair and big lips pouted at Carmilla. She just raised her hands like a suggestion that she could not do anything else and disappeared into the hall where she bumped into a very flustered Laura.

“Wow, Cup… Laura.” Carmilla said holding Laura still.

“Is everything okay?” Laura said trying to disguise the worried tone on her voice.

“Just helping a lost guest.”

“Lost?!” Laura snorted. “She was practically eating you with her eyes.”

“And she is still a guest. And a bridesmaid.” Carmilla finally removed her hands from Laura, placing them behind her back and looking aloof at her fiancé.

“Right. I know…” She took a deep breath, resisting the craving to touch Carmilla. “They need you in the kitchen, I have to check the restrooms.”

“Okay.” Carmilla nodded as other people was passing by them.

Laura nodded too, walking to the other end of the hall.

Carmilla entered the kitchen and Kelly called her.

“I need a hand to get some drinks from the fridge, can you come with me?”

“Sure.” Carmilla said following her.

Kelly opened the door of a big fridge and entered it, grabbing two bottles of Champagne. “Hold the door!” She screamed at Carmilla, who was just getting in. “Oh, fuck!”

Carmilla turned and saw that the door didn’t have a handle on the inside. “Fuck! I’m sorry.”

“Shit. This is broken, damn it! It’s my bad, I forgot to mention before.” Kelly dropped the bottles and look at the door by Carmilla’s side. “Now we have to wait for someone to come in here again.”

“Can’t we call for help?” Carmilla pulled her phone from her pocket and there was no sign.

“You know we were not supposed to bring our phones to the service with us, right?”

“Yeah, but I really don’t care.”

“Don’t let Jane to see it or she’ll you fire you.”

Carmilla just shrugged. “I hope it doesn’t take too long for someone to come here.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t.” Kelly sat down on a wooden box of tomatoes. She started to pick her nails, while Carmilla kept taping her phone.

 

They waited for a few minutes in an awkward silence.

 

Kelly looked up at Carmilla, who was leaned in a shelf. “Is this ring for real, or are you just trying to repel people?”

Carmilla chuckled, looking at her hand and shoving her phone back on her pocket. “It’s for real, I’m happily engaged.”

“I’m not judging you or anything, but I didn’t expect you to settle down like that.” Carmilla furrowed her eyes and Kelly explained herself. “I do some shifts at The Panther bar, I used to see you there once in a while… always with a different girl.”

“Huh.” Carmilla shook her head. “Well, those days are gone.”

“Yes I can see.” Kelly smiled nodding to Carmilla. “But people still flirt with you anyway.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that bridesmaid is giving me a hard time. I don’t know how long I can be polite with her.”

“Her and Laura Hollis, the pregnant wedding planner. She’s been watching you the whole night.”

Carmilla made a poker face. “Really?”

“Yes! I don’t know what her deal is, but I think she’s single now? And pregnant, I don’t know how she managed to do that, since she is supposedly a lesbian too.” She snorted “Some people are saying she cheated on her long time girlfriend with a guy.”

Carmilla lost it, looking sternly at her coworker. “I thought you said you didn’t judge?” 

Kelly looked defensively. “It’s what people are saying, I’m not the one making up those things.”

“But you are passing the rumors along. That’s just as bad.”

She crossed her arms. “And why do you care? She’s not even your boss. If you want to kiss someone’s ass it should be Jane’s, but I’m warning you ahead, it won’t work anyway.”

Carmilla ran her fingers on her hair, messing her bun. “This isn’t any of your business, but I can’t…” She blew a breath frustrated. “She didn’t cheat on anyone, she is pregnant because she wants to be. That’s all.”

“And how do you know that? Do you know her?” Asked Kelly with very inquisitive eyes.

Carmilla was measuring her next words when someone opened the door.

“Finally.” She mumbled pulling the door widen and leaving.

 

“Where were you Karnstein?” Said Kirsch coming from the ballroom. “Dinner’s being served in like 5 minutes and Laura was freaking out that she couldn’t find you.” 

“I was stuck in that shitty fridge.”

“Damn it, I’ll put a sign about the handle right now.” He put his hand on the headset. “Yeah, I found her, she was stuck in the fridge.” He said into the mic nodding. “I’ll do that right now.”

“Is that Laura?” Kirsch nodded to Carmilla. “Where is she?”

“She is talking to a supplier in the back.”

“Five minutes, right? I’ll be right back.” She walked hurrying away from Kirsch.

“Don’t be late or they’ll kill me, bro!”

 

Carmilla walked through the kitchen reaching the very back door where Laura was signing a paper in a clipboard. She handed it to a guy waiting for her and turned facing Carmilla.

“There you are! Dinner will be served in less than 5 minutes!”

“Come with me.” Carmilla said grabbing Laura’s wrist.

“What are doing?” Laura questioned following Carmilla.

Carmilla guided Laura inside the place again, heading to an empty storage room. She looked at the corners and closed the door.

“Can you turn this thing off for a bit?” She said trying to keep a cool attitude, gesturing for Laura’s headset.

Laura sighed, turning a switch. “It’s off.”

Carmilla took a deep breath, taking Laura’s free swollen hand and looking in her eyes. “Laura, listen to me. You can’t be worrying about me the whole time.”

“But these people-”

“I know, but I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.” She touched Laura’s belly with her other hand. “Don’t forget that everything you feel, he can feel too. And I’m really worried about you two.”

“I know I should not be this stressed, but this wedding is too important…” She covered her face with both hands, dropping the papers that were on her hand.

Carmilla wrapped her arms around Laura, pulling her head to her chest. Laura’s hands moved to embrace Carmilla too. 

“You two are more important than this wedding, Cupcake.” Carmilla whispered in her ear. “You’re so great at your job, you don’t need to be worried about everything, especially about me.”

Laura breathed deeply, feeling her body relaxing against Carmilla’s. Carmilla kissed her cheeks and brushed her hair softly.

“I love you, Carm.” Laura whispered against Carmilla’s chest.

“I love you too.” Carmilla replied.

Laura tilted her head up finding Carmilla’s lips, kissing her tenderly. Carmilla gave her another peck before they finally increased the distance between them. Laura’s smile returned to her face as she was looking with serene eyes to Carmilla.

“You messed your hair up.” She giggled brushing Carmilla’s hair with her fingers. “Come here.”

Carmilla turned with a goofy smile and Laura fixed her bun.

“Much better now.” She said turning Carmilla back and giving her another peck.

Carmilla held her hands squeezing them lightly. “Ready to get back out there?”

Laura nodded, smiling again. “Yes.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was right on time to serve the drinks for dinner. Kelly kept looking at her with a broody expression, but Carmilla didn’t even bat an eyelash. She just kept concentrated on her duties; serving people and keeping a smile on her face. She noticed how Laura was much better, more relaxed and focused on her job.

 

At the end of the day, Laura was feeling her body’s efforts weighing on her. Her ankles were swollen, and everything else was hurting, her feet, her back, her arms, everything. She looked at the bride and groom dancing slowing to a romantic song, only paying attention to each other. She smiled tenderly, finding Carmilla taking the glasses off an empty table behind them.

 

The annoying bridesmaid approached her, saying something on Carmilla’s ear and tucking a napkin in her shirt pocket. Carmilla froze in place until the girl left. She rolled her eyes making a disgusted face, taking the napkin from her pocket and shoving it inside of a glass filled with wine on her tray. Laura looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen.

 

She noticed Perry on the west side, also looking at the couple dancing. The guests were finally leaving and the sense of mission accomplished finally hit her. The wedding was a success.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla’s duties were finally over. Jane handed her a check of 200 dollars. Not bad, she thought. She didn’t even know she would be paid. She had really done it for Laura, after all. She heard someone calling her in the back of the kitchen; it was Kelly with her clothes from that morning. 

“Hey, I’m sorry for what I said earlier. You were right, I shouldn’t be gossiping about someone I barely know.” She said a little hunched with her hands inside her jeans pocket.

Carmilla gave her a sympathetic smile “It’s alright. I was a little rude too.”

“Yes you were.” She chucked. “So, I see you in the next gig?”

“This was nice and the paycheck is very good, but I’m afraid it was a one time thing. I was just doing someone a favor.”

“Right.” She nodded. “That Kirsch guy is your friend.”

“Yeah, he is. And the pregnant wedding planner, Laura Hollis?” Kelly nodded to her. “She is my fiancé.”

“Oh… fuck. Damn, I didn’t know…” Kelly’s face wrinkled in shame “No wonder you got so pissed.”

“Yeah, well. Gossip really is a shitty thing.”

“Yeah… I feel you. Sorry again.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to rat you out.”

“Thanks Carmilla. And if you change your mind, I’m sure Jane would love to have you again.”

Carmilla shrugged. “Well, you never know when a wedding emergency will happen.”

“That’s really true.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla walked back to ballroom, with her clothes changed, looking for Laura. A few people were still walking around the place, sweeping the floor and taking out the trash. Laura was sat on a chair with half of her body laid on a table. Carmilla kissed her head, making Laura opening her eyes.

“Let’s go home, Cupcake. You’ve worked a lot.”

Laura yawned, stretching her arms. “I’m so tired.” She said with a sleepy voice. 

“This is a lot of work, Cupcake, I had no idea.” Carmilla sat by side, brushing Laura’s hair gently. “And you’ve been here since early this morning.”

“We only do this once or twice in a month so it’s not a big deal. And this was the biggest wedding we ever did so… It’s not that bad really.” She rested her head back on the table and Carmilla followed her gaze doing the same.

“You looked so hot all bossy and professional. It was hard to keep my hands for myself today.”

“You silly dork.” Laura said bumping Carmilla with her legs. “You were a distraction too.” She sighed. “You were right. Even though tonight was a success, I don’t think we can work together… not on a regular basis at least.”

“Yeah, but I don’t mind doing it once in a while.” She raised her shoulders. “If you need a hand just call me. I’ll be glad to help you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She said reaching Carmilla’s hand under the table.

“Let’s go home, sweeties.” Perry said approaching the pair. “Our job is done here.” 

Carmilla raised her head from the table giving a sympathetic smile to Perry.

“I’m impressed, Vampira, never seen you working so hard in your life.” Lafontaine said getting closer to the table.

“Shut up.” Carmilla said standing up and offering her hand to Laura.

“Dudes, that was amazing!” Said Kirsch placing his arms over Perry and Lafontaine. “I love this job!”

Perry furrowed her eyes and Lafontaine laughed.

“Too much, Beefcake.” Carmilla said shoving Kirsch in the belly. He removed his arms from his coworkers. “Sorry, guys. I’m just so happy! This is so much better than to work at that lame drugstore.”

Laura leaned her body on Carmilla, leaving the ballroom with Perry, Lafontaine and Kirsch following them.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla drove her and Laura back to their apartment. They showered together to not waste time getting to bed. Carmilla finally saw her ring again; it was on a chain around Laura’s neck. They lay on the bed, feeling their bodies ache. Carmilla still had some strength to massage Laura’s swollen feet.

“This is amazing, Carm.” Laura said laid on her side and hugging her fluffy pillow. “What would I do without you?”

“I don’t know, hire a masseuse?” Carmilla said in a mocking tone.

“I’m serious!” Laura whined “I would have panicked today without you! You saved me again.”

“Don’t exaggerate, Cupcake.” Carmilla kissed both of Laura’s feet before returning to her place on the bed, spooning Laura. “You’re a very competent planner.”

Carmilla placed some kisses on Laura’s neck and let out a long breath. “And what I need right now, is to think up some story to tell our tiny human.”

“He is probably sleeping right now.” Laura said with her voice getting affected by the sleep.

“He’s usually more awake than us this time of night.” Carmilla said, brushing Laura’s belly.

“Make it short, I want to sleep.”

“What a mood killer. See, Riley? I want to tell you a story, but your mom here won’t let me.”

“No, you don’t get to do that.” Laura whined, turning her head to the side. 

“Do what? Tell him stories?”

“Act like the cool mom while I’m the bad one, who has to impose the rules.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“Yes you totally are! He hasn’t even been born yet and you’re doing it.”

“Alright, I won’t say anything anymore.”

Laura rested her head again, but she couldn’t fall asleep anymore. After some minutes of silence she finally gave up.

“Tell him a story. Please.” Laura said brushing Carmilla’s hand over her belly. “I really don’t want to be the bad mom.”

“You’re not.” Carmilla kissed her cheek, snuggling further in Laura. “Well, I think I’ll tell him about the first time I saw you at the drugstore.”

“It’s one of my favorites.” Laura said squeezing Carmilla’s hand.

And as she listened to Carmilla’s story; one that she had only learned through texts, she remembered again how lucky and blessed she was. She thought that she maybe did something right in her life and the universe was somehow rewarding her. There was no other way to explain all the happiness she was feeling right in that moment, surrounded by her favorite people in the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even I am liking to read my story with better writing now.  
> Please, don't forget to thank Robin for me too ;)


	27. Don't Look Back In Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla and Mr. Hollis team up to make a big surprise for Laura. But there is something wrong with their plan.

**Chapter 27 – Don't Look Back In Anger**

 

Carmilla hated to wake early on a Monday. But it was for a good reason. After a perfect lazy Sunday with Laura she waited for her fiancé to leave for work and got dressed. Besides the meeting, she had a lunch with her future father-in-law. It was her last day before she would return to work but if everything worked well in her morning meeting, maybe she wouldn’t need to do that anyway.

 

With a wide smile she left the meeting and headed to her apartment. She read some emails and did a little research. At noon, John Hollis was waiting for her in his car outside her building. He took her to a very familiar address. Going down the street of her childhood house, Mr. Hollis parked his car in front of a small, white, one-story house. He got some takeout food on the back of his car and invited Carmilla to get in the house.

 

“So what do you think, kid?” He said as they entered the front door, heading to the kitchen.

“It’s a very nice house, John.” Carmilla said looking at the small but still messy house. 

“This is my new home.” He stopped and looked to the walls with pride. “Kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, just perfect for me.”

“I like it.” She looked back to him. “I’m just curious about the location.”

“You were right, this is a very good neighborhood. And I got a really good price for this house, but not just for this house.” He placed the bags with the food over his kitchen counter.

He disappeared in the living room returning with a simple key in his hand, showing it to Carmilla. “I also got the haunted house, and for a very good price.”

Carmilla raised her eyebrows “What?”

“Yeah, kid. Your old childhood home belongs to you again, and to Laura.”

“But how…?”

“Well, I sold the house in Minnesota to one of the rookies. It was enough to buy this little one and to add some to the other house; your house. I got some of my savings and Laura’s part of her mother’s inheritance.” He tilted his head to the side. “Technically it’s my house, but I will transfer to you as soon as you two get married.”

“I don’t know what to say, Sir… John.”

“You can thank me.” He smiled for her. “And give me a hug.”

Carmilla blinked twice before she opened her arms embracing her future father-in-law. “Thank you!” 

“You’re welcome, kid.” He released her. “We’ve got a lot of work to do on it. I can give you a hand, but you need to be able to afford the cost of remodeling.”

“Of course, this is just perfect.” Carmilla giggled. “I got a deal from a publisher, they bought all the rights to my books and they’ve already given me an advance to write another series.”

“Really? I’m so happy for you, kid! Come here and give me another hug.”

After another tight hug, Carmilla had a small tear falling down her face.

“I hope Laura likes it too. The house doesn’t really make a very good first impression.”

“We can fix the house before we show her. Laura loves surprises.”

“Do you thinks it’s possible?”

“I’ll make some research. The house really has a solid structure, you’re not going to have to spend much, maybe 50 grand or so.”

“I can afford that.” Carmilla nodded, still smiling like a goof. “And pay for the loans too.” She sighed. “And quit my old job.”

Mr. Hollis patted her shoulder; beaming with pride

“Well, let’s eat, then we can talk business.”

 

After lunch, they went to the old house on foot. It was three minutes away from the house Mr. Hollis had bought for himself. They walked through all the rooms, making plans for the remodeling. Carmilla wanted everything to be ready before the baby was born, which gave them three months. For John that was enough time, but Carmilla was worried. She didn’t know how she would work on the house for so long and still keep it a secret from Laura.

“You can pretend you’re still working on that drugstore, and spend the time working on this instead. Of course, we’ll have to hire some people for the hard work, but I think we can do it in two months.”

“I don’t know, John. I hate to lie to Laura.”

“It’s not really a lie. I mean, it’s for a good cause, and I’m sure she won’t mind after she sees this place shining like new.”

“If you say so.” Carmilla shrugged. “You know Laura better than me.”

They walked downstairs, heading to the kitchen. It was the better room in the house, but also needed a lot of work.

“Maybe I can tell Laura that I got a different shift, she always complains about my work schedule. I mean, she is right. It’s terrible for us.” Carmilla suggested.

“See, it’s not that hard. And it’s only for two months. Time will pass so quickly, you’ll see.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

 

They talked more about their plans for the house and Carmilla was convinced. She would do that for Laura. It would be hard to lie to her, but it was for a good cause. She’d have to wait to mention her book deal, which also bothered her. But she could only imagine the look on Laura’s face when she’d see that house; their house.

 

That same afternoon, Carmilla went to the drugstore to speak to her boss. She had serious mixed feelings about that place. She hated the medicine smell and the memories of long and boring hours she spent in the middle of those plain white walls. But it was also the place she had met Laura. And that made it somewhat special. She found some new faces at the cash register and prescription counter. The old man was in the back looking at some papers. He was relieved to see Carmilla but got really angry when she said she was going to quit. She’d never seen him so angry.

She would have to return another day to sign some papers and make it official. But for now, it was all she wanted. She was finally free from that place.

 

**+++**

 

She tried to look aloof around Laura when she got home from work, but she caught herself smiling in unexpected moments.

“There is something different about you.” Laura said when they were watching some TV, sitting on the couch.

“Me?” Carmilla made a poker face. “I’m the same, Cupcake.”

Laura squinted her eyes. “You looked more light… more carefree, I don’t know.” She shrugged and looked back at the TV.

“Maybe it’s because I got a different shift in my work.”

“Really? Are you going to work at the daily shift?” 

“Yeah, it’s not so early, but early enough for us to see each other on a normal routine.”

“That’s great, Carm!” Laura kissed her eagerly. “What is your working hours?”

“From 9 am until 7 pm.”

“It’s a little bit late.”

“But it’s not for too long, I’ll only work there until our baby is born. I’ll definitely get a new one after that.”

“This is good too. I can’t believe I’m entering in my third trimester, the delivery day it’s getting so closer!”

“And when exactly is the due date?”

“On November 25th.” She sighed. “We need to do some shopping. We need to get the nursery ready, and I need a delivery bag, you know, to put everything I will need for the birth.”

“We’ll get all of that, don’t worry.”

 

**+++**

 

On Tuesday, after their morning sex, Laura headed off to work and after Carmilla took a shower, she texted Mr. Hollis who would pick her up for their visit to Home Depot. Carmilla got in the car where Mr. Hollis was drinking some coffee from a thermos. 

“Here, have some coffee, kid.” He said offering her the mug.

“I’m good, John. I ate some cereal.”

“Cereal? That’s not enough to make you awake for the day’s activities, we’ve got a lot to do.” He looked at her like a concerned father. “Also, my coffee is very good.” He insisted pushing the bottle again to Carmilla.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” Carmilla gave him an apologetic smile. “A little while ago I overdosed on caffeine and developed a mild heart problem. So I really can’t.”

“Wait, when did that happen? Are you okay?”

“Like a month ago. I’m really fine; it was just a scare. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Those things are serious, kid.”

“Because we didn’t want worry you. I’ll really be fine as long as I’m far away from caffeine.”

He sighed. “Okay then. But tell me if something like that happening again, that’s why I’m here after all.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

 

They walked down the long aisles in the Home Depot for hours. Carmilla wasn’t sure about the paint color, so they decided to wait and choose that in the future. The most important thing in that moment was to prepare the basics. When they returned to the house, they realized how much trash needed to be thrown out, so, until 7 p.m. that was all they did; cleaning and removing unnecessary junk.

 

Carmilla came home completely exhausted; luckily Laura wasn’t back from work yet. They texted during the day (as usual) and Carmilla even told some of her old clients stories as new ones. This was the worst part of Carmilla’s surprise for Laura; the lies. She realized she couldn’t come home dirty like this or Laura would start to get suspicious. She could shower in the house but it would also be strange to get home so clean after work.

 

She didn’t know how some people could sustain an affair for years because the effort she was putting in to hide the surprise from Laura was almost the same as a person would do to hide an affair and it was not worth it.

 

Her body was a wreck. She wasn’t used to so much hard work. And she also needed some strength for her night activities in bed. She really needed a better plan.

 

She had an idea for the shower part. She told Laura she was going to a gym, it was the perfect excuse for her body aching and the shower. Laura didn’t like much the extra hour Carmilla would take to get home, but she agreed that Carmilla needed to be less sedentary.

 

On Wednesday morning, Carmilla found Mr. Hollis with a thermos filled with hot chocolate for her in the car. She went a little easier on her work efforts, telling her father-in-law the problems about hiding their surprise from Laura. Around 7 pm, Mr. Hollis went home and Carmilla tried to take a shower in the old house shower. The pipes were rusted and the water was dark. To make things worse, one of the pipes exploded, flooding the bathroom and soaking Carmilla.

 

She walked to Mr. Hollis’s house, dripping all the way, with her gym bag slung over her shoulder. He had some good laughs before let her in to use his shower. They would check the pipes in the next day.

 

As the week progressed, it was getting easier for Carmilla to get used to her new routine. Mr. Hollis called them to see his house officially. Laura was enchanted by the neighborhood, seeing many kids playing in their yards, some riding in bicycles, others just running and laughing with no destination.

 

“I wish we could raise our kid in a place like this.” She said looking at the street on her father’s porch. 

“Maybe we can.” Carmilla said wrapping an arm around Laura’s shoulder. “In a not so distant future.”

Laura leaned her head in Carmilla’s shoulders. “I hope so.”

 

During the second week, things got a little different. Laura wanted to clean the guest bedroom to arrange things for the nursery. For Carmilla that was a waste of time, but she could not argue with Laura about that without revealing the surprise. She decided to work some evenings at Jane’s catering, on the days she was supposed to be off work. But she still had one day in the week to just be with Laura.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was scraping off the old paint on the living room wall when she got a text message. Mr. Hollis had gone to a doctor’s appointment that day and Carmilla was working alone in the house.

**Elsie (2:02pm)** How my favorite ex-buddy is doing?

Carmilla smiled to her phone, taking a break from her work.

**Carmilla (2:02pm)** working too much for my taste

**Elsie (2:02pm)** I’ve always see you as a hard working girl… at least in bed.

**Carmilla (2:03pm)** I’m flattered, but you have to stop with the flirting, I’m engaged now

**Elsie (2:03pm)** No way! The pregnant girl?

**Carmilla (2:03pm)** Yep, that one

**Elsie (2:03pm)** Can’t believe! 

**Carmilla (2:03pm)** Yeah, it’s a real thing

**Elsie (2:04pm)** I guess fairy tales can be real sometimes ;)

**Carmilla (2:04pm)** I’m living the dream… but I’m kind of in hell now

**Elsie (2:04pm)** And why you say that?

**Carmilla (2:04pm)** I’m trying to plan this huge surprise for her, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong all the time. I hate to lie to her

**Elsie (2:04pm)** Are you home? I think you need to vent a little

**Carmilla (2:04pm)** If by vent you mean just talk, I’m in

**Elsie (2:05pm)** Duh, I’m not that desperate. And besides, last time we did it, you were thinking way too much about her to really enjoy what we were doing

**Elsie (2:05pm)** And I don’t like to be ignored like that. :p

**Carmilla (2:05pm)** Don’t be so dramatic, I’ll give you the address to where I am now, bring something for us to eat, I’m starving.

 

**+++**

 

Elsie arrived at the house with a large pizza. Carmilla told her all about her plans and Elsie was surprised with Carmilla’s commitment with Laura.

“I knew you were head-over-heels about this girl, Carmilla. But I didn’t know it was this much.” She chuckled looking at Carmilla covered in dust, leaning in the kitchen counter.

Carmilla shrugged. “Well, what can I say? I really love her. And the kid.”

“And long have you been doing this? This seems a lot of work to be done by yourself.”

“For about a month now. And I’m not doing it alone, her father is doing most of the work and some helpers come too on some days.”

Elsie looked more carefully to the house, taking another bite from her slice. “I heard this house was haunted, why did you buy it? Are you not scared at all?”

 

Carmilla told Elsie the story about the house, and how she became the mystery ghost. They laughed for about a minute, before Carmilla got serious again.

 

“But it’s not been easy, you know?” She sighed. “I’m tired all the time and Laura is getting very demanding on bed.”

“Didn’t know your girl was this thirsty. I heard pregnant women don’t usually like sex.”

“Oh, that’s not the case with her, really. That’s one of the reasons we got together in the first place.”

 

And then Carmilla told Elsie how her and Laura became sex-buddies and then girlfriends and fiancées.

 

“Poor girl… I wonder what her ex looked like. Probably a bitch.”

“Her ex is beautiful… But, yeah, I don’t like her at all.”

“Do you have a picture of Laura? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her.”

Carmilla took her phone and showed Elsie some pictures of Laura.

“Wow. She really is beautiful and you’re all heart eyes in every picture with her.”

“Shut up.” Carmilla said taking her phone back.

“But, what’s the problem in bed now? Maybe I can help you.” She winked.

“You know about the hormones things I told you?” Elsie nodded. “Now that I’m working this much, I can’t keep up with her. We usually have sex twice in a day, in the morning and at night before we go to sleep. But lately I only have strength for one or the other. And she is getting frustrated, I can tell.”

“Send her to my place, I need a girl like her.” Elsie smiled widely “Also, I’ve never done a pregnant chick, that’s got to be interesting.”

“It’s a little tricky.” Carmilla chucked. “And no, I’m going to send her to your place.”

“If you can’t keep up, I can.” Elsie shrugged.

“Can you believe I had to use the headache excuse the other day? And it was true… I need to extract more wisdom teeth…” She shook her head frustrated. “I never thought I would say that, but maybe I can do that tomorrow and earn some offs days.”

“I hate you Carmilla.” Elsie laughed again, bumping her foot playfully in Carmilla’s shin.

 

**+++**

 

Laura got a call from her dad. He had his blood taken for some test and his blood pressure was down. He needed her to take him home because he could not drive himself. Laura got a ride from Perry, arriving at the clinic in just 20 minutes. Her father was pale but he said to her it was nothing and the nurse taking care of him guaranteed Laura that her father just needed some rest.

 

As Laura was driving her quiet father home, her mind was distracted thinking about Carmilla. She had been acting a little odd, since she returned to her job. Maybe she wasn’t getting use to the day shift. Laura hated to admit that, but maybe it was better for Carmilla to return to her usual nightshift. She was always so tired. But, that was not all. There was something else weird that Laura could not explain. Carmilla was apologizing too much. And she was also a little distant. But maybe Laura was just putting too much thought into it.

 

She left her father home, making sure he had a decent meal before he went to bed. He told her to use his car to get home, he would took it in the next day. Laura agreed. It was not too far from her apartment, maybe a 15 minutes walking or so, but her feet was killing her and she was also really tired.

 

As she was driving down the street she liked so much, a familiar face got her attention. She was hugging a blond woman in front of an old house. It was kind of fast, but she noticed it was Carmilla indeed. She slowed the car down, paying more attention to the scene. The girl was walking down the street and Carmilla get inside of the house. Laura furrowed her eyes and pulled it over. She got her phone.

 

**Laura (7:10 pm)** Where are you?

**Carm (7:10pm)** I’m heading to the gym, why?

 

Laura’s forehead twisted with wrinkles. She looked at the house again, it had some lights on.

 

**Laura (7:10pm)** Can you come home straight today?

**Carm (7:10pm)** Why, there is something wrong?

**Laura (7:10pm)** I’m just missing you

**Carm (7:10pm)** You’re so adorable, Cupcake

**Carm (7:11pm)** Just let me hit the gym to grab a feel things I left in my locker and I’ll be home in no time

 

She buffed looking at the phone.

 

**Laura (7:11pm)** Ok, I’m waiting for you

Laura drove away from the house, she could not let Carmilla to see her there.

 

**+++**

 

Laura didn’t know what was going on, but she refused to let her mind wanderer to the worst conclusion. No, Carmilla was not cheating on her. Why would Carmilla cheat her, really? After all they went through, it didn’t make sense. She trusted Carmilla with her life. What they had were special. She knew it. But she needed a good explanation for what she just saw.

 

When she got home, she paced all over the place and decided to take a shower. Twenty minutes later, and Carmilla was getting by the front door, with a genuine smile on her face. Laura melted a little with Carmilla’s smile and forgot what happened for a second. When Carmilla hugged her, she noticed she did take a shower too.

 

“Did you shower?” Laura asked, breaking the hug.

“Yes, I took the opportunity that I was there with some clean clothing and just went for it.” She looked concerned to Laura. “Is everything okay?”

Laura tried to disguise her worries. “Yes, it just… I thought you would come straight to home.”

Carmilla looked at her watch. “It just took me 20 minutes, Cupcake, I’m here now.” She looked expectantly to Laura. “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s watch some TV.” 

Carmilla furrowed her brow a bit, but just nodded “Okay.”

 

After a few minutes watching TV Carmilla was feeling more and more guilt. Guilt about her lies, guilt about the complaints she’d made to Elsie. She loved Laura too much to care about these silly things bugging her. She leaned her head in Laura’s and turned to give her a few kisses. For a second, she felt Laura reacting positively to her, but out of nowhere she got stiff. She kissed Laura a little more, expecting something different. But Laura just moved away from her, standing up.

“I need to pee.” She said before she left the living room.

Something’s wrong, Carmilla thought to herself. Laura returned, sitting far away from Carmilla on the couch. Carmilla looked at her with puppy eyes and Laura made a strange smile, tucking a pillow on the armrest and laying on the couch, resting her feet on Carmilla’s lap. Carmilla sighed and dropped her back further on the couch, giving her attention back to the TV.

On the commercial break, she decided to say something to test the waters.

“You’ll work tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah, I have to talk with some clients. Why?”

“Because it’s my day off and I was thinking in maybe work for some hours in a party for Jane.”

“Did she call you?”

“This girl who works with her, Kelly, told me she needs some help in this kid’s party. Since you won’t be home and the money is good, I thought I could go there.”

“If you are feeling okay to work another day after working this whole week, it’s fine by me.” Laura shrugged getting her attention back to the TV.

 

Carmilla felt the tension in Laura’s words. Was she mad because of the extra 20 minutes she got to be there? She was covered in dust; she couldn’t just come home like that. She cursed in her mind, thinking it was just for another month. Just another month, the house would be ready and all the lies would cease.

Carmilla woke up in the middle of the night, laid on the couch alone. She stretched her whole body and walked lazily to the bedroom. Laura was already sleeping. She was probably very mad at Carmilla. But Carmilla just shook her head to drive away her bad thoughts. She laid on the bed spooning Laura, feeling her sleepy fiancé relaxing with her touch.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla woke up on Saturday morning with Laura sat on the bed, dressing her pants. Carmilla rolled on the bed, wrapping her arms around Laura.

“Morning, Cupcake.” Carmilla peppered some kisses on the bare skin of Laura’s back and belly.

“Morning.” Laura answered, pulling her pants up.

Carmilla sat up, kissing Laura’s cheek, removing gently her hair from her neck, to laid some kisses there too.

“I need to go, Carm.”

Carmilla looked at the alarm clock, it was 7 o’ clock, too early for Laura to be late.

“We have time and I missed you.” Carmilla kissed her again but Laura stood up, leaving Carmilla on the void.

“I need to solve some things in the office before 8, I really need to go.” She said adjusting her shirt.

“Okay.” Carmilla said with a weak voice, dropping herself back on the bed.

“I’ll see you tonight?” Laura said by the door.

Carmilla nodded yawing. “See you. Have a good day.”

“You too.” Laura gave her a small smile and a wave before she left.

Something was definitely wrong.

 

**+++**

 

Laura got early on her office to do nothing. She hated the way she was treating Carmilla, but it was stronger than her. The idea that Carmilla was cheating her was getting the best of her at every minute of the day. When Perry arrived at the office with a wide smile, she excused herself and left the office. She walked a few minutes to the Baron Drugstore.

 

It’s have been a while since she was there for the last time. After she moved in with Carmilla, she never really needed to return there anyway. She saw an unknown girl on the prescription counter and the blond one she usually saw there during the day at the cash register. She grabbed some painkillers and headed to the cashier.

 

“Aren’t you Carmilla’s girlfriend, Laura?” The blond girl asked as soon as Laura gave her the pills.

“Yes, it’s me.” Laura said not correcting the girl.

“And how is she doing? It’s like a month since quit, right?” The girl said with a sympathetic smile.

“She is fine. Just fine.” Laura answered with a forced smile.

“And what she is doing by now? I know Kirsch is working with you, but I have no clue about Carmilla.”

For a moment Laura didn’t know what to say. “She… she is working at a catering service.”

The girl chucked. “Can’t imagine Carmilla serving tables… don’t get me wrong, but she is kind of an anti-social person.”

“Well, when Carmilla wants she can be very social.” Laura said showing some bitterness in her voice.

She thanked the girl and left the store with her medication.

 

**+++**

 

Laura tried to push her thoughts to the back of her mind. She really did. Every time a client smiled to her, she remembered what she was supposed to do on that day. But the theories and accusations were getting the best of her. She looked at her phone and considered the option to call Carmilla. But she knew Carmilla was serving people and could not answer her. That is, if she was really even doing that. Laura wasn’t so sure anymore.

 

After talking to her last client, she looked at her phone. It was 3 in the afternoon. Perry tried to talk to her, asking what was wrong. Laura just shook her head saying that she was just tired. Perry told her to go home, her work was done for the day. Laura agreed with her and she headed to her car.

 

She felt her palms sweating and her features heavy with concern. She just wanted to talk to Carmilla and confront her about everything that was bothering her. She remembered about the house, and before she even realized, she was parking in front of the address. She turned off the engine and looked at the house, with questions burning in her brain. There was only one way to know what she needed.

 

She walked out of her car and headed to the front door. She approached her ear and tried to listen for some noise coming from the house. She got nothing. She walked back to the front lawn and turned to the back, stepping carefully along the way.

 

The place was a mess, with building materials along the way and a white dust covering everything. But Laura didn’t care a bit about it. She was looking at any sight of Carmilla. She tried the backdoor and it was open. She opened it carefully, peeking at a half decent kitchen. Walking further she reached the living room, also a very dirty construction site, she started to hear some noises. It seemed to be voices, she was not sure, all she knew it was coming from the second floor. She stepped slowly in the stairway, making sure her foot would not make any sound.

 

Step by step, Laura climbed the stair, reaching a long hall, where the noises were getting louder. She felt a tug in her stomach when she realized that the noises were moans. Long and agonizing moans, like sex noises. Sex? Yes. _Fuck!_

 

She followed the moans and whimpers to a room, keeping her body pressed closed to a wall, like she was some kind of spy. She felt her stomach sinking and her heart beating in a crazy fast pace. She approached closed enough to listen to the sounds clearly. She debated internally for like an eternity, what to do next. It was like her whole world could crumble in just one second. And she knew the answer. Of course she would look. How could not she? But the courage never hit her. She took deep breaths and just went for it, without the courage that never came. And scene she saw made her heart to skip beats.

 

The blond girl she saw the day before was laid on her back, completely naked in a twin size bed, with her legs spread. Between her legs it was the head of a woman, with long and waved dark hair, slim and pale body. She didn’t saw her face, but it was not necessary, because she knew that that woman could only be Carmilla.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter edited by Robin.
> 
> Chapter 28 will be up someday on this week, don't worry (more).
> 
> **Update:** My thoughts on chapter 27  
>  http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/post/132909540801/my-thoughts-on-chapter-27


	28. O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world as Laura knows it fall apart. And what does Carmilla have to say about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does the title mean? Google it, or check the post on my tumblr:  
> http://tinyurl.com/pg9vtte

**Chapter 28 – O Mundo Anda Tão Complicado**

 

Laura almost fell to the floor at the sight before her eyes. The blond girl’s eyes were closed and she didn’t even notice Laura looking at her. All Laura wanted was to leave that place as fast as she could. She was not so careful climbing down the stairs this time. She didn’t care if someone could hear her. She just wanted to be out of that place.

 

She got into her car, driving to her place entirely on muscle memory, too shocked to pay any conscious attention to her surroundings. When she arrived in her apartment, she wasn’t sure what to do. Her apartment? Probably not. Not now at least, because everything belonged to Carmilla. Carmilla, her cheating fiancé. Carmilla, who had she trusted enough to build a life with. Carmilla, the one she had allowed to be her son’s mother. Carmilla, who was giving head to some random girl.

 

What she would do? Pack her bags and leave? Or just wait for Carmilla to get home and hear her lame excuse? There wasn’t really an excuse for that, but she wanted to know what Carmilla was going to say. She didn’t allow her heart to break into pieces. No, she would not do that. Not again. She was too mad at Carmilla to feel her heart being smashed.

 

So she would wait. Just wait. And she did. She sat on her couch and looked into the void, not thinking about anything in particular. Time passed, as it would. She felt her bladder fill and she could feel the urge to go to the bathroom. Her tiny human was basically squishing her bladder, and she could not hold it for very long, not when she was seven months pregnant. She was sitting on the toilet when she felt tears running down her face. No, she was not supposed to cry. She would not cry for Carmilla. She would not cry for a cheater. But she did. It was unstoppable.

 

She hadn’t heard the door opening, or the sound of someone entering the house. When her eyes focused again, she saw Carmilla shaking her shoulder with a very concerned expression.

“Cupcake, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Laura woke up from her trance, taking some toilet paper and pushing Carmilla’s hand from her. “Leave me alone.” She said in a voice that didn’t sound like her own.

Carmilla’s expression dropped to a scared one, as all the blood drained from her face. “Cupcake…”

 

Laura stood up, ignoring Carmilla completely. She made her way to the bedroom, getting under the covers and pulling them up to her nose. Carmilla stood still in front of the bed for a moment before she climbed in too, touching Laura’s shoulder again.

“Don’t touch me!” Laura hissed.

“Laura, you’re scaring me.” Carmilla said feeling her throat tight.

Laura raised her head from the covers, looking with rage in her eyes. “I’m scaring you? You broke my heart! You lied to me! What the hell do you want?”

Carmilla raised her hands frustrated “What are you even talking about?”

“You don’t know? Let me refresh your memory.” She sat up on the bed, gesturing with her hands as she was speaking. “You quit your job a month ago and told me you got a different shift, but really you were just lying to me this entire time!”

“Damn it, I knew this would happen!” Carmilla pinched the bridge of her nose, sitting on her folded legs. “You’ve got it wrong, Laura.”

“Are you saying you didn’t lie? Can you be honest with me, at least now?”

“I’m not saying… Yes, Laura, I lied to you. But it was for a good reason.”

“Good reason? It’s a good reason to sleep with a blond skank?”

“What? No! Laura, I was working on remodeling a house for us! A house your father bought for us; the house I grew up in.”

“Oh really?” Laura crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows dramatically. “I guess you forgot to mention the house you were screwing that blond girl in!”

“What blond girl? For fucks sakes I was not screwing any girl.”

“The slut you were hugging yesterday and fucking this afternoon.”

“Elsie? I’m not sleeping with her, you got it wrong.”

“I saw you two yesterday when I was getting back from my father’s house. And I went there this afternoon again, I saw you going down on her.”

“Wow, hold on. I don’t know what you saw there, but it wasn’t me. I was working all day at this rich kid’s birthday party, I even have children’s vomit on my shoes. I was not cheating on you; I would never ever cheat on you Laura. You know that.”

“All I know is that you lied to me Carmilla. You, who made me a big speech about being honest, were the biggest liar in the end.”

“Laura, listen to me. Did I lie about my job? Yes, but it was only to plan a surprise for you! I’ve been working on that house for an entire month with your father. You can ask him!”

“That might be true, but you can’t deny you met that blond yesterday.”

“Yes, we were talking. Elsie is my friend; we were just catching up. Nothing happened, I swear to you!” 

“Elsie… I remember that name. She was the last girl you met on that app, wasn’t she?”

Carmilla closed her eyes, pinching her nose again. “Yes, she used to be my sex-buddy, but that was a long time ago, Laura. I never saw her again after you moved in with me.”

“So, you were alone with your sex-buddy in that house and you expect me to believe that nothing happened, you were just talking?”

“Ex-sex-buddy.” She huffed. “I know this sounds absurd, but it’s true.”

“Don’t even bother, Carmilla.” Laura took the chain with the ring from her neck, throwing it on the bed. “We’re over.”

She was getting up from the bed, but Carmilla held her in place, propped up on her knees. “Stay away from me!”

“No, I won’t!” Carmilla said firmly. “I love you and I won’t give up on us.”

Laura struggled with Carmilla’s grip on her. “Stop with the lies!”

“I will fix this.” Carmilla said with a determined look, releasing Laura. She took her phone from her pocket and placed it in Laura’s hand. “Everything you need to know about Elsie is here.”

Laura refused to take the phone and Carmilla dropped it on the bed. “I’ll fix this.” She said, leaving the bedroom. After a moment Laura heard the front door close as Carmilla left the apartment.

 

**+++**

 

Laura wanted to cry but she couldn’t. She was feeling a pain in her chest and nothing could ease it. Maybe if she could cry again, she’d feel better, but the tears had ceased and she felt her stomach churning. She ran to the bathroom and threw up all the remains from her lunch. She washed her mouth at the sink, facing the devastated look on her face. Her eyes were puffed up and her makeup smeared.

 

She returned to the bedroom and looked at Carmilla’s phone on the bed. She took it, sitting down and leaning her back on the headboard. She opened Carmilla’s texts and saw the last messages she exchanged with Elsie. Carmilla was friendly with the girl, but was clearly avoiding her advances. Laura felt her stomach twitching again at the girl’s comment regarding Carmilla’s efforts in bed. But she felt a little better seeing that Carmilla even mentioned how she hated lying to Laura, like she was doing something really wrong. She went further, getting to the older messages, where Carmilla and Elsie were basically just talking about having sex. The messages made her stomach feel even worse, but she paid attention to the dates. They happened months ago, before she had even moved in with Carmilla.

 

So Carmilla was being honest about that, at least in her texts. She looked at other texts, other than the ones with herself she saw a few texts with a girl named Kelly, talking about some jobs at Jane’s catering. Not a sight of flirting. She had texted Kirsch too, but there was nothing relevant there either. And then there were some texts with her father. They talked about schedules, and car rides. Scrolling further, she saw a text of Carmilla again complaining about the lies and her father was telling her it would be okay. They also talked about broken pipes, lazy constructors and some huge rats coming from the basement.

 

Everything matched with Carmilla’s explanation. Everything but what she saw this afternoon. Yeah, she didn’t actually saw the girl’s face, but she could not be wrong. She knew Carmilla well enough to recognize her even from a distance. She grabbed her own phone and called the only person who could give her an explanation.

 

“Hey Jane, it’s Laura.” She said making her best to sound like her normal self.

“Hello, Laura, how are you doing?”

“I’m great, Jane. I just wanted to know how everything went with your clients at today’s party?”

“Everything went well, Laura. You know how worried I get with children’s parties; it’s always a challenge. But we got it under control.”

“I’m really glad, Jane.”

“Oh, and Carmilla was just great! She’s got quite the way with kids; it surprised me! If it was possible I would have her working at every event we attend.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Laura you’re a lucky woman, Carmilla will be a great mother, I’m sure.”

Laura felt her throat tighten again.

“When did you wrap things up, Jane? I’m waiting for Carmilla to come home.”

“She left about an hour ago, I think she’s probably stuck in some traffic? I’m sure she’ll be there soon.”

“You’re right. Thanks Jane, bye.”

Laura felt the tears streaming down her face again. It was 7 at night. Of course Carmilla was working there all day. Of course Carmilla didn’t cheat on her. But why didn’t she believe Carmilla’s words? Why she was so sure about that girl she had seen at the house?

 

She grabbed the chain with her ring on it and put it back on her neck. She tried so hard to avoid the pain in her heart but it came anyway. The worst part was that it was mostly her fault. She felt terrible just thinking about what Carmilla must be feeling. What she had made Carmilla feel. She never even tried to give her the benefit of doubt. And now there she was, a cellphone in each hand but no way to reach Carmilla. All she wanted was to hug and to kiss Carmilla, to tell her how sorry she was.

 

There was only one place she could think Carmilla would be, so she grabbed her keys and headed there.

 

**+++**

 

“Finally! What the hell were you doing at my house today?” Laura heard, just as she got upstairs in the house she had trespassed in earlier that afternoon.

“I don’t care if you changed the sheets, Elsie! My house is not a brothel!” It was clearly Carmilla’s voice. Laura walked the same path she had the first time.

“Laura came here and now she thinks I was cheating on her! Do you have any idea what a fucking mess you made!” Laura heard her pacing around the room.

“I don’t give a damn, Elsie! She broke up with me! Fuck you!” Carmilla smashed the landline phone over a small table.

 

Laura was standing still by the door, with her eyes filled with tears. Carmilla turned and saw her. Carmilla’s eyes were red and full of pain. Laura walked in her direction, opening her arms and crushing Carmilla, embracing her tightly.

“I’m sorry, Carm.” She collapsed in a loud sob. “I’m so stupid.”

Carmilla hugged her back, burying her face in Laura’s hair. “It’s okay, it’s okay.” She said placing gentle kisses on Laura’s head. “It’s alright.”

Carmilla sat down on the bed, bringing Laura with her. They both cried while holding each other; Laura’s sobs were more desperate while Carmilla’s were quiet.

 

After endless minutes, Carmilla was brushing Laura’s hair, soothing her from the stress caused by all of the agony.

“How could I be so stupid?” Laura said in a weak voice, her head resting in Carmilla’s chest.

“It’s not your fault, I did lie to you.”

“But I didn’t believe you until I read your texts… and talked to Jane” She looked up at Carmilla. “She loved your work, by the way.”

Carmilla caressed her cheek, looking at Laura peacefully, the hurt faded from her gaze. “I’m sorry for lying to you. I really am.” She sighed. “I was trying to plan a big surprise for you, but not that kind of surprise.” She laughed sadly.

“Well we’re clearly both morons, Carm. I think we deserve each other. Ironic as that might be.”

“I think I have to agree with you.” Carmilla smiled at her, it was more genuine this time. “Do you forgive me? I promise I’ll never do that again, not even for a stupid surprise.”

“I’ll forgive you, if you forgive me first.”

“I don’t need to forgive you.”

“Carm! Come on, I acted like a crazy person. I didn’t even see that’s girl face, and I just assumed she was you.” 

“In that case…” Carmilla made a thinking face and Laura furrowed her eyes.

“In my defense, she did look a lot like you.” She almost didn’t finish her sentence as Carmilla kissed her passionately.

Laura leaned into the kiss, taking Carmilla’s face in her hands. 

“Of course I forgive you.” Carmilla said, breaking the kiss briefly, “And what about me?” She looked expectantly to Laura.

“You are already forgiven, Carm.” Laura pulled her face again, deepening the kiss.

 

They kissed a little more, lying on the small bed. Minutes later, Laura was practically on top of Carmilla, peppering kisses down her jawline. She noticed how Carmilla was looking to the ceiling and she turned her head to see what was catching her attention. She noticed some grimy plastic stars glued above them.

“This used to be your room, right?”

Carmilla nodded. “And now it’ll be our nursery.” She kissed Laura’s temple.

“Why hadn’t you ever mentioned this place to me before?”

“It was just an old trashy house and I thought that I was the only one who could see some potential in it.” She shrugged the shoulders. “Luckily your father saw it too, and he bought the house for us.”

“Really? But… How? Last time I checked, my father couldn’t afford a house like this.”

“It was very cheap. He said he used some money from the sale of your house in Minnesota. Also from your inheritance and even from his own savings.”

“So, no mortgage? This house is totally paid for?”

“Yes. Well, I think that being a cheap person has its advantages.” Carmilla chuckled.

“Is he paying for the remodeling too? I don’t want to abuse my father’s good will.”

“No, that’s on me.”

Laura looked up at Carmilla with raised brows. “You? How? Did you win the lottery or something?”

“Kind of.” Carmilla kissed her cheek. “Actually, I got a publishing deal for my books. That’s also why I quit my job at the drugstore.”

“All of that happened in the last month and you kept it all from me, just to put together a surprise?”

“You father said you love surprises and I thought this would make you really happy.”

Laura rested her head on Carmilla again “It would have… But Carm, you really don’t have to do all the hard work to please me. If this is our house, we should do it together, don’t you think?”

Carmilla furrowed her brows in a sad look “So, you didn’t like the surprise?”

Laura looked up at her again “I… I would have loved the surprise if your plan had worked out. But I also would have been mad at you.”

“Why?”

“Cause you were doing it all by yourself! I want to have a say about the house where we are going to raise our son. I mean, we’ll probably spend the rest of our lives here.”

“I actually didn’t think of it from that perspective. I just wanted to give you a dream house.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, I know you had the best intentions but I’d rather be by your side from now on. Let’s do this together, okay?”

“Of course.” Carmilla said kissing her forehead.

“And you don’t need to work this hard to make more money for us, or for the house. I have money too, I can help pay for the remodeling.”

“Your money is for the baby, Laura.”

“I have more than enough for the baby, things are getting better with the company, and I’ve been saving much more since we moved in together.”

“But I’ve got it covered.” Carmilla said sitting up, bringing Laura with her.

“Well, what about your student loans and grad school?”

Carmilla stretched her arms and back. “I’ve paid all my students debts.”

“And grad school?”

She ran her fingers on her hair “It can wait a little longer, I want to take care of our baby while you work on your company. I can do my job from home, and soon I’ll sell more books and make more money.”

“You don’t have to postpone your plans because of our baby.” Laura said looking with gentle eyes to Carmilla, rubbing her own belly.

Carmilla gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m not postponing anything. In my original plan it would have taken 3 years for me to start saving money for grad school, after I finished paying off my debts. I was going to work on that drugstore for way too many years before I could afford to set foot in a University again.”

“But things have changed, you can do that now.”

“I don’t want to. Family comes first and I’m happy to do this. It would break my heart to leave our little baby in daycare so early in his life.”

“Are you really willing to spend the next few years taking care of Riley and working at home?”

Carmilla nodded “Yes, I am.”

Laura had an apprehensive smile on her face. “It’s a lot of work, Carm. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” She looked attentively at Laura. “What are you afraid of?”

Laura smiled sadly to her. “That you’ll change your mind.”

“Why would I change my mind?” She said like it was an absurd statement. “I love you and I love him, you’re my family.”

 

Laura looked drown, brushing her belly again. The silence grew between them and Carmilla saw a tear rolling down Laura’s face. She reached and touched Laura’s hand over her belly.

“Danny did.” Laura said weakly, her voice barely a whisper.

Carmilla finally understood what Laura was afraid of. She opened her arms, embracing Laura in a tight and soothing hug, kissing her temple. More tears coursed down Laura’s face.

“I’ll never leave you Laura. You’re my life, my heart, my everything.” She said in Laura’s ear, kissing the tears from her cheeks, meeting her mouth with light pecks. “I love you so much.” She said between pecks.

Laura kissed her back and Carmilla cupped her chin, pulling away from Laura for a bit. “Are you listening to me?” She said looking deeply in those hazel eyes. Laura nodded, shedding more tears. “Good. Cause I meant it. You’re stuck with me, forever.”

Laura let out a giggle, lacing her arms around Carmilla’s neck, nodding again.

“Unless…” Carmilla sighed. “You get tired of me and my lame jokes. I’ll understand if you want to keep your distance from this.”

“Stop degrading yourself.” Laura scolded “I can never keep my distance from you, silly girl.” Laura said, voice shaking.

 

Laura kissed her again, pressing her body against Carmilla. She slipped off her shoes with the tips of her feet, bringing her legs up onto the bed, over Carmilla’s lap. Carmilla did the same, breaking the kiss for a second to put off her boots quickly. She turned on the bed, leaning her back on the headboard and bringing Laura to sit on her lap. They kept kissing passionately, until Laura started to rock her hips against Carmilla. Carmilla slid her hands from Laura’s shoulder to her ass, firmly grabbing her bottom cheeks and helping Laura with the motion. The friction started to affect them as Laura was holding Carmilla’s back, sliding her hands under her shirt and brushing her ribs.

 

They kept grinding slowly and gently. Laura tilted her head up, breaking the kiss, to let a moan escape from her throat. Carmilla took the opportunity to kiss her neck, nipping lightly at the skin, just the way that Laura loved. Another moan came from Laura and Carmilla buried her face in Laura’s cleavage, taking a deep breath and nipping the skin of her sensitive breasts.

 

Laura’s back arched in pleasure and she got rid of her shirt, clumsily undoing the buttons and pulling the sleeves from her arms. Carmilla looked up at her with an amused smile.

“I love how dorky you are.” She said cupping Laura’s chin with her right hand and pulling her for another kiss on the lips.

“Shut up!” Laura said, playfully, looking at Carmilla with a sassy grin.

She tugged at the hem of Carmilla’s shirt, pulling it up. Carmilla helped, raising her arms. While Laura was tossing the shirt on the floor, Carmilla slid her open palm over Laura’s chest, reaching the ring on her chain. She curled her index finger on the ring, pulling it in her direction and bringing a smiling Laura towards her.

“Let’s get married already, my love.”

Laura smile grew wider; she just nodded before she crashed into Carmilla’s lips again, returning the motions on her hips. She never felt more loved in her life.

 

**+++**

 

Laura was spread on Carmilla’s tiny bed, using her fiancé as a personal human pillow. Her belly was bigger than ever and every motion in bed should be calculated. But Carmilla was always gentle, so she never really worried about being hurt. Their clothes were scattered all over the bedroom. Luckily it was a warm day.

“What was your original plan?” Carmilla asked while running her hands over Laura’s belly. “Before I came into the picture?”

“What do you mean?” She looked up at Carmilla.

“For the baby. How were you going to take care of him and deal with your work?”

Laura snuggled on Carmilla’s chest again. “I would have stayed home with the baby for 3 months. Then I would have returned to the office for a few days in the week, bringing him with me. Perry suggested that I create a space for him in the office, so he’d be more comfortable.”

“Alright. And then?” Carmilla said in a gentle tone.

“Well, then I would take him to daycare, but just part time, I would leave work early and take him home until Danny would return from work and be with him for a few hours.”

“And how long would you do that routine?”

“Until he turned 1.” She started to trace random patterns on Carmilla’s skin with her fingers. “And then he’d probably be in daycare full time, I’m not sure; I didn’t plan that far ahead.”

“It was a good plan. But you know you would lose a lot of first times in his development.”

“Don’t remind me.” She looked up at Carmilla again “Have you been reading the books I bought?”

“Yeah, I brought some of them here. And you father is reading too, he said he didn’t know much about those things when you were growing up, and he also wants to take care of Riley a few days a week.”

Laura chuckled, leaning her head in Carmilla again. She loved the simple contact of their bare skin.

“What it’s so funny?” Carmilla asked amused.

“Perry and Laf said they’d love to babysit for us whenever we want. Even Kirsch offered to watch him if I brought him to the office.” She sighed. “He hasn’t even been born yet and a lot of people want to be around him, it’s just incredible.” She shed some tears. “Just a few months ago I was feeling so desperate, thinking about how alone I was and what a terrible mother I would be.”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Carmilla said right away, kissing Laura’s temple.

“Yes I would, and just because I wanted to plan a stupid surprise.” She looked up at Carmilla. “I think we learned a valuable about lesson about big surprises, huh?”

“I can admit this was kind a stupid thing to do. But I can’t consider your surprise to Danny stupid, never.”

“Why not?”

“Because if not for that, we wouldn’t be here right now.”

Laura gave her a large smile, laying some kisses on Carmilla’s collarbone. “Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t regret anything.”

Carmilla chuckled. “Can you imagine your life if you hadn’t done it? If you haven’t gone through with the artificial insemination?”

“I’d probably still be living with Danny. Fighting a lot, having really lame sex.” She laughed, though it was a kind of a sad truth. She hovered over Carmilla’s face with a legitimately curious face. “What about you?”

“I don’t know.” Carmilla shrugged. “Maybe flirting with you at the drugstore or moving to another city, I don’t know.”

“Why you would move?”

“Because, as told you before, I had a huge crush on you even before you got pregnant. And after I knew you had a girlfriend and that you were wanting to start a family with her it got worse and I just needed to get over you.”

“It was that bad? I had no idea?” Carmilla just nodded, Laura placed a kiss on her lips. “My poor Carm.”

Carmilla kissed her back again. Laura broke the kiss, looking with an apologetic smile. “I need to pee, where is the bathroom?”

“There is only one working, down the hall.” Laura sat up and looked for her clothes. Carmilla followed her. “You can use my flip flops to walk on this filthy floor. This is the only place that is clean.”

Laura gave her a worried expression. “And the bathroom, of course.” Carmilla added.

“I accept your offer.”

 

Carmilla got the shoes for Laura and some clean clothes for herself from a duffel bag in the closet. “I’m going to take a shower, do you wanna take one too? I can lend some clothes to you.”

“Will they fit me?” Laura asked with her legs bouncing on the edge of the bed.

“They’re just sweats. But you’re home, so I don’t think that’ll matter.”

“Home.” Laura giggled. “I need to take a better look at our new house.”

“So shower or no shower?” Carmilla asked expectantly.

“I think I’ll shower at home, you know, our current home.”

 

Carmilla shrugged, giving Laura her flip-flops, she was going barefoot, taking her clean clothes and her boots with her. And as soon as Laura put on Carmilla’s shoes, a loud thunderclap roared through the dark sky, lightning briefly illuminating the room. The strike was followed by the noise of the rain pouring heavily outside.

 

Laura looked up at Carmilla with a frightened expression. Carmilla wrapped her arm around Laura’s shoulder, as she stood up. “How about a nice, long, warm bath?”

 

Laura just nodded.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla lay in the full bathtub with Laura resting on her chest; just relaxing while the world was getting kind of chaotic outside. Laura was looking apprehensively at the walls and Carmilla noticed her tension.

“I said it was clean, not pretty.”

Laura turned and looked at her, the tension on her face breaking. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You don’t have to, I know you.”

“How many bathrooms there are in this house?”

“Besides this one, there are one on the master bedroom and a half-bathroom downstairs.”

“Master bedroom? Tell me more!” Laura said animated.

“It’s a very large bedroom, with a closet and the bathroom you asked about. I think you’re going to like it.”

“How many bedrooms?”

“Three. One used to be my father’s office, we can use as an office for ourselves. I can write there and you can work on your company when you are home.”

“Are you sure you want to write while I’ll blabbing on the phone?”

“Hmmm… yeah, I don’t think so. Maybe it can be just your office. I can write anywhere, really. I even used to write at the drugstore.”

“I’m so happy about your book deal.” She kissed Carmilla’s lips. “You’re a great writer, it’s good to know other people recognize that.”

“And it’s good to be well paid to do it.”

“You know, I was thinking about other things we need to talk about and we never did.”

“Like what? We’ve been talking a lot, especially today.”

“About how are going to raise our son. What values are going to pass along, are we going to send him to a public school or teaching him home? And what about our beliefs? You know, those things.”

“Beliefs… Do you mean religion and this sort of things?”

“Yep. My mom was sort of a religious person; she made us goes to the church once in a while. I never really cared much. I just went because of her. My dad did the same. After she disappeared we went a couple of times, but never again after that.”

“So, do you believe in God?”

“Well, I believe someone is above us. Maybe Mother Nature, maybe a God, I don’t know. I just don’t want to use any religion to explain it.” She made a pause, brushing Carmilla’s arm. “What about you?”

“I don’t know.” Carmilla shrugged. “I think there is some kind of balance in the universe. Science is too perfect, I don’t think it’s random, but also I’m not sure what is out there.”

“So, summing up, you don’t know.”

Carmilla chuckled. “And I think that maybe we can be reborn. It’s a crazy theory, but that’s what I feel when I’m with you. Like we’ve met before, in another life.” She tilted her head down. “This is crazy, right?”

“No, it’s not crazy. Who knows? Maybe that can explain how we fell so hard and so fast.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

 

Laura and Carmilla discussed their beliefs more and Laura listed all the things she wanted to teach Riley before the boy could even talk. Carmilla agreed that they should teach him to be kind to people and be whoever he wanted to be, as long he was not going to hurt anyone in the process. They decided to not push any of their theories about gods or the universe, and let him figure it out for his own, but never deny their opinions if he eventually asked about it.

 

They realized that despite their slightly different approaches, they agreed on the basics of most things.

 

**+++**

 

“I’m starving!” Laura said when they reached the kitchen. Carmilla had shown her the entire house, Laura liked everything and not even once had she made a bad comment about the place. And the rain outside still hadn’t eased up at all.

“I got you some cookies from the party.” Carmilla said grabbing her backpack on the counter. She pulled out a white paper bag and sat with Laura on the table.

Laura squealed like a child when she took the cookies from the bag. “This is the kind of surprise I love!”

Carmilla just smiled for her, watching Laura devouring the cookies. She just kept one for herself; she let Laura have all the rest.

“You know, I was being serious when I said we should get married already.” Carmilla said.

Laura smiled to her. “I know. But when?”

Carmilla sighed and took a look at the room around them. “When the house is done?”

“And how long that will be?”

“One month. Two tops.”

“Can we make it shorter if we spend more money and hire more people to help?”

“I think so. We need to talk with your father; he knows best about this stuff. He’ll have a better idea.”

 

Laura rubbed her hands together, dislodging the crumbs and grabbed her phone in her pants pocket. She opened her agenda and scrolled through the days. “October 24th, it’s a Saturday, one month from now. We have no wedding scheduled for that day or any meetings.” She looked up at Carmilla. “Would that be a good day for you?”

“Of course.” Carmilla smiled widen for her. “Even Halloween would be a good day for me. If we are getting married, I don’t even care about the day, I just want to be your wife.”

Laura matched her smile. “Actually we do have a wedding on Halloween, and it’ll be themed, like a children’s party.” She laughed. “We’ve never done anything like that, I think it’ll be fun.”

“I want to work on that one, tell Jane I’m in.”

Laura nodded and they started to talk about their own wedding. Carmilla was relieved to know that the next month would be different than she had anticipated. She didn’t need to lie anymore, and she had something really exciting to look forward to. She felt a little less angry with Elsie. But just a little.

 

**+++**

 

The month of October held a lot of surprises for the couple; Laura gave her father a speech about the lies and scolded him for dragging Carmilla along with it. But she also thanked him for his efforts and the huge gift. He said it wasn’t really a gift, since most of the money belonged to Laura anyway. Laura hired a designer and a contractor and all they need to do was to choose what they liked or not. Carmilla concentrated on finishing her book, and on getting ready to pitch the new series to her editor.

 

That same month, Laura started to have food cravings. Carmilla would wake up in the middle of the night to get Laura whatever she wanted, never complaining once. She felt bad about all the trouble Laura had with sleeping. Her discomfort couldn’t be fixed with all the pillows they had, so Carmilla bought more until she got one that Laura liked best. She felt a little bad not being Laura’s pillow anymore, but all she wanted was for Laura to sleep well.

 

The house was getting to the finishing touches when Laura and Carmilla went to separate places to shop for their wedding dresses. They agreed on making everything as simple as possible, but they could feel the pressure anyway. The pressure to make the other’s eyes shine with happiness when they would meet to finally make it official and become Mrs. and Mrs. Karnstein-Hollis.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also I’m posting some notes about the process of writing on my blog. If you are interesting in this sort of thing, you can take a look about what I wrote about chater 27:  
> http://tinyurl.com/ovoz2pt
> 
>  **Update**  
>  My thoughts about this chapter are here:  
> http://tmblr.co/ZK-VHj1xzo3n4
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter was also perfectly edited and corrected by Robin.  
> http://fallenforathunderclap.tumblr.com/


	29. Turn the Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s just a few days before their wedding, Carmilla and Laura still have a few things to overcome and a bachelor party can change the perspective of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here!  
> This chapter was supposed to be the wedding but while writing it I realized that there were a lot of things to wrap up before the big day. So we have the second longest chapter of this fic, I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 29 – Turn the Page**

 

“What do you think about this one?” Laura said to Perry, leaving the changing room.

Perry raised one brow at Laura, looking at her from toes to head. “I don’t know. Something is missing.”

Laura bit her lower lip. “I feel that too.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I know this is just a small ceremony, that we will have a big one in the future; but I want it to be perfect.”

Perry understood exactly what Laura wanted. After more than 8 years of friendship and another 4 working together, they were very in tune with things related to their wishes, it was like a sixth sense. “You can try more dresses sweetie, don’t worry.”

Laura shook her head. “There aren’t many options for a bride who’s eight months pregnant.” She huffed “Well, I’m not trying to find a traditional wedding dress, but it’s hard anyway.”

“It’s okay, Laura. We are going to look until we find it, I’m sure we will find the perfect dress.”

“How Carmilla is doing?”

“Let me ask Laf.” Perry typed on her phone. Laura gave a last look at the white sleeveless dress in the mirror.

“I’ll try that one with the lace on the skirt.” Laura returned to the stall while Perry was concentrated on her phone.

“They said Carmilla just got it.” Perry called to Laura. “She is returning to the apartment very soon.”

“Already?!” Laura said peeking through the curtain.

Perry nodded. “Apparently Carmilla’s not a fan of shopping for clothes, so she only tried the ones she really liked. So she only tried like three.”

“I’m glad Carmilla knows what she wants.” Laura said from inside the booth. “At least one of us is ready for this wedding.” She let out a groan.

“Do you need any help there?”

“Yeah…I’m stuck!” She complained.

Perry stood up, reaching Laura on the other side of the curtain. “I don’t think this one is going to fit you, Sweetie.” Perry said with a gentle tone, trying her best to not offend Laura.

“Maybe I should check that rack with the long sleeves.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Perry tilted her head to the side, lips curled in a strange smile “Laura, are you really sure about this?”

“I should try before I know right?”

“I mean about the wedding.” She placed her hands behind her back, using a very gentle tone on her voice. “You’ve only been with Carmilla for a few months, don’t you think you are rushing things a little bit?”

“Not a few months, Perry! More like five. Yeah, five months or so.” Laura said, getting rid of the whole dress and tossing it on a bench.

“You are under a lot of stress with the new house and the baby coming very soon… don’t you think you should wait until after the birth and see how things go from there?” Perry grabbed the dress and put it back on the hanger, smoothing out the fabric.

“I don’t have any doubt, Perry. Carmilla is the one for me.” Laura said grabbing her own clothes on the bench to get dressed again.

“I know she makes you happy, Laura. But marriage is a very serious commitment.”

“I’m very aware of that Perry, you don’t need to be so overprotective, you know how I hate that.” Laura was already showing some irritation on her voice.

“I’m just concerned about you, sweetie, don’t be mad at me.”

Laura crossed her arms and looked pointedly to Perry. “Not even my father is concerned about me getting married this early. Are you still having suspicions about Carmilla? Because I’m sure-“

“This isn’t about her, I like Carmilla. I would say this about anyone you’d be marrying.” 

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “ Anyone? Even Danny?”

“Danny was different. You were together for five years and…” Perry trailed off, taking a deep breath and smiling sadly to her friend. “Sorry, Laura I… It’s just hard to accept that a relationship like the one you and Danny had was not meant to be. You two used to be role-models for me.”

Laura relaxed her face, placing a hand on Perry’s shoulder. “Not every relationship lasts forever, Perry. Danny and I didn’t work out, but we had our good moments. I don’t regret dating her.”

“I know, I mean… I like to believe that when two people are together it’s going to last forever. When something goes wrong like this, I lose some faith about love… in general, you know?”

“I think I do. But you shouldn’t be mourning my relationship with Danny anymore. I turned the page, for good. There is only Carmilla, now; Carmilla and no one else. You can and should cheer for us, instead.”

“I know, I’m sorry for be such a downer with my insecurities when you should only feel happy.” Perry smiled again to Laura, receiving a tight hug from her friend.

“I get it Perry. Don’t worry.” Laura looked at the pile of clothes around her and looked at herself on the mirror again. She was not even close to finding her dress, and she would be getting married in just four days.

“What do I do? We have only four days and nothing seems to be good enough.”

Perry made a thoughtful face. She looked at Laura again through the mirror and her mind wandered around the possibilities she knew well enough from experience. “I think I know.” She said with an optimistic smile.

 

**+++**

 

Lafontaine was driving their car, giving Carmilla a ride back at her home. The shopping trip had been short, for both their sakes.

“Can you leave me at the house?” Carmilla said turning to her friend. “I want to check out some things with the nursery.”

“Sure.” They nodded, taking a different route. “So… Are you going to have some kind of honeymoon?”

“I don’t think so.” Carmilla shrugged. “There’s this Halloween wedding coming, and I can’t imagine Laura having to take time off of work again. And we need to move to the house.”

“I’m going to miss our old apartment.” They said with a nostalgic grin.

“I think I will too. I have good memories there with Laura.”

“Yeah.” They looked briefly to Carmilla. “It was there that you started dating, right?”

“Well, first we had sex, then we dated, and then we got engaged, but, yeah, it all happened there.”

“You don’t have to explain that to me.” They made a frown. 

“What’s the problem?” Carmilla rolled her eyes. “I didn’t give you the gory details of us having sex, chill a bit.”

“Laura is my boss, I don’t want to imagine her having sex with you.” They shook their head. “Or having sex at all.”

“Are you going to do your prudish whining thing again? Basically everybody have sex, you don’t need to freak out about it.”

“What I don’t need is you putting unwanted thoughts in my brain.” They groaned. “Now I’m sure next time I’ll see her my mind will imagine you on top of her and I won’t hear a single word from her…” They wrinkled their face with a disgusted expression. “See, it’s already started.”

Carmilla raised a brow at them, smirking. “I can’t be on top on her anymore, unless I’m going down on her, which is technically on top of her, but not really.”

“Urghhh!” They groaned, stopping in a red light. “Shut up! Or I’m going to leave you on the streets.”

Carmilla shrugged, making a faux innocent face. “I was only correcting your mistakes, it’s not my fault if you don’t consider the practicalities of the situation.” She stretched her back further on the seat. “And it’s not like Laura is pregnant means we don’t have a great sex life, because we do. If you lived there you would know by the sounds you know so well.”

They hit the gas pedal, grabbing the wheel with a tight grip, their face turning very red. 

Carmilla held herself on place, with the car going a lot faster than before. “What the hell, Laf, easy there… I have a family to provide for.”

“I just want to get to your house faster, so I won’t hear your stupid blabbing for too long.”

“Alright, I’ll stop! I was just kidding, geez!”

They reached Carmilla’s driving way, pulling over. “There, now leave.”

“Someone is clearly in a mood.” Carmilla unbuckled her seat belt, shaking her head. She got the bag with her dress and opened the door. “Don’t you wanna to come in?” She said with an apologetic smile to her friend.

“Not really.” They said with a serious face.

“Come on, I was teasing you, you know how I am, you don’t have to be so mad.”

“Well, maybe I’m not ‘rocking anyone’s world’ but I’m fine.” They said in a harsh tone, keeping their eyes on the street in front of them.

Carmilla dropped her eyebrows “What is going on?”

They closed their eyes for a second, scratching the back of their head. “I’m just tired, it’s nothing.”

Carmilla sighed. “Alright.” She made a pause. “But if you need to talk about something, whatever it is, just give me a call, or drop by my house.”

“I’ll just experiment on something.” They sighed heavily. “And I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Carmilla said before she left the car. She shook her head again, watching her friend’s car going down the street. That was weird, she thought to herself.

 

**+++**

 

Three hours later, Laura was meeting Carmilla at their nursery. The room was basically finished; all they needed to do was add some things they still needed to buy for the baby, like the hospital bag, the bottles, the tons of accessories. Carmilla was checking the list again, looking at what they had in the closet. The room had eggshell colored walls, with red, blue and yellow details. Laura’s old crib was painted in white with red details, like the rocking chair. They had built a station to change the diapers, a soft and comfy armchair, a very fluffy blue rug and a mobile made of planets and stars above the crib.

 

On the walls they hung some pictures of boats and animals, along with a large frame subdivided to hold 6 large photographs. The first was a picture of the first ultrasound of the baby. The second was the picture of Laura pregnant in their old apartment (a picture Carmilla took when she first noticed her belly bump). The third was Laura with Carmilla at the park enlacing their hands with engagement rings. The fourth was the picture they took in front of Laura’s old house, with Carmilla and her father. The last two spaces were empty still; the fifth space would hold the picture of their wedding and the last a picture of the baby after the birth.

 

Laura had had the idea for that frame, showing their progression as a family. And every time Carmilla entered the room, she got lost in the images, remembering those moments.

 

Looking at the frame for a seemingly endless period of time, Carmilla felt a pair of hands sneaking on her waist and wrapping around her, while a belly bump was pressing against her back. “And you say I’m the sappy one.” Laura said by her ear followed by a small giggle.

Carmilla held her hands, feeling a kiss on her cheek. “It was your idea, Cupcake.”

“And you liked it.” Laura snuggled her chin on Carmilla’s shoulder.

“No, I loved it.” She turned her face to Laura. “And do you know why?”

“Why?” Laura said nudging her nose on Carmilla’s neck, taking a deep breath.

Carmilla felt a shiver in her spine with Laura’s gesture, making her giggle a bit. “Because I was there since the first picture.” She smiled widely, Laura giggled too.

“See, you’re a huge sap!” Laura squeezed her, and Carmilla turned her whole body, pulling Laura for a proper kiss.

“So, you got your dress?” Carmilla asked keeping her arms around Laura.

Laura let out a frustrated breath. “Kind of. I never thought I would be one of those undecided brides. I’m mad at myself.”

“I wonder how long it’s going to take for you to make a decision for the big wedding you always wanted.”

“I can’t even imagine.” She gave a last sigh before releasing Carmilla and playfully slapping her butt.

“Hey!” Carmilla complained as Laura was making herself comfortable on the rocking chair.

“I’m so tired.” She looked at her belly with a half-smile “I’m not mad at you, my tiny human, but you’re not so tiny anymore.”

Carmilla sat down on the armchair next to Laura, placing her hand over Laura’s. “Just another five weeks. Maybe even less, Cupcake, hang in there.”

“I know…” She whined. “But these last weeks are taking forever to pass. I’m done being pregnant.”

“If I could I would be in your place and give you a break from this.”

“I can’t even imagine you pregnant.” She snarked “I’m bet you would be brooding even in your sleep.”

“Of course I wouldn’t! I would be very chill about it.” Carmilla removed her hand from the belly and placed it behind her head, leaning further on the chair.

“Wanna bet?”

“Our first baby hasn’t been born yet and you want to bet how broody I would be pregnant?”

“You’re the one who said that you wanted to have more than one kid. I’m not going to do this again anytime soon, so…”

Carmilla shifted her position, going to the edge of the chair. “That means you agree to have more children?”

Laura chuckled. “That means that _if_ we are going to have another kid _you_ are gonna be the one to carry them.”

“Fine.” She extended her hand to Laura waiting for her to shake. “It’s a bet.”

“What are we betting on, exactly?” She crossed her arms looking with squinted eyes to Carmilla.

“That I won’t be as whiny as you think I’m gonna be.”

“And what will I get from this bet?”

Carmilla shrugged. “I don’t know, whatever you want.”

“Hum… I’ll think of something, then we make a deal.”

“Alright.” Carmilla retried her hand, looking at the list she left on the dresser. “You know, we were supposed to go shopping for the things we need to finish the nursery.”

“Yeah, but it’s so late! We can do it tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is our bachelor party and Mattie is coming. I don’t think we’ll have the time.”

“The day after tomorrow? We’re getting married in four days.” 

“And we’re moving in in two.”

“Basically all of our things are already here; We have time, trust me, I’m an expert on these things.”

“If you say so.” Carmilla offered her hand to Laura. “Come here, sit with me.”

“Are you sure? I’m huge and weighting a ton.”

“You’re still shorter than me.” Carmilla smirked for her.

“I can’t believe how you can feel so tall, you’re only an inch taller than me! You’re short too, Carmilla.” Laura said making her way to her future wife’s lap.

Carmilla kissed her cheek, holding Laura. “Still taller.” She said with a mocking tone in Laura’s ear.

“You’ll see, when I’m not pregnant anymore I’ll only wear heels when we’re out in the public.”

“That’s cheating, Cupcake.” Carmilla playfully whined. “You know I hate to wear heels.”

“Not my problem.” Laura pulled her in for a quick peck, brushing Carmilla’s hair. “So Mattie is coming. What about the rest of your family? Are they coming too?”

“No.”

“Did you invite them?”

“No.” Carmilla shook her head kissing Laura too.

“Why not?” Laura said, breaking the kiss.

Carmilla sighed. “Last time I saw mother she told me I would be living on the streets if I wanted to pursue an academic career.”

“What about your brother?”

“Willy boy?” She scoffed “I’m sure he wouldn’t even come.”

“Why? Have you invited him?”

“I sent him the invitation through the mail, but I’m sure he won’t even see it. He’s full of himself and oh so busy.”

“Busy how?”

“He lives in LA, he’s an actor.”

“Would I know him from something?”

“He’s usually playing some dumb stoner in a movie with Seth Rogen or James Franco.”

“Your brother is Will Luce?”

Carmilla nodded. “And we haven’t spoken in forever, so…”

“Okay, maybe he won’t come, but your mother-“

“She doesn’t care about her failure of daughter.”

Laura tried to argue with Carmilla, but she got really upset about the whole thing. They decided to take another look at their baby list, before heading to the apartment.

 

**+++**

 

Laura tried her best to get a meeting with the Dean of Silas on the phone, but after giving her name it was impossible. When Laura was a student in the University, she had some disagreements with the woman, basically because she didn’t agree with some of their policies. Laura had almost lost her scholarship and been expelled from Silas, only her good grades and a deal with the Dean helped her to actually graduate.

 

She knew she needed something powerful to get the meeting, so she went in person with her 8-month pregnancy belly, wearing a dress that made her look even bigger. In the last few months she found out how it was hard for people to say no to a pregnant woman. She was not sure about the reason, but she would swallow her pride and use this to get the meeting with Carmilla’s mother.

 

“Hello, Ms. Davis, it’s me!” Laura said greeting the old secretary. She was the same working with the Dean since Laura studied at Silas.

“Hello, Ms. Hollis.” The woman replied looking a Laura with widen eyes.

“Wow! You look exactly the same Ms. Davis, after all these years still so pretty, how can you do that?”

“Well…” She blushed a little. “I’m sure you look better than me.”

“Me?! Well, this little guy here is keeping me very tired, but I’m trying my best.” Laura said still keeping her cheerful tone, rubbing her belly.

“How far along are you, dear?”

“Eight months. He’s due in a few weeks.”

“Eight? Dear Lord, you should sit, here.” She stood up and gestured for the chair in front of her desk.

“I appreciate your concern, Ms. Davis, but I just need to talk to Lilita for a second.”

“Oh sweetie, as I told you; I can’t do anything else. She’s refused to see you and she has a meeting in 10 minutes.”

“I just need 5 minutes. Or less, Ms. Davis. Can you talk to her again? Please?”

The lady sighed. “Ms. Hollis…” She ducked her head talking a lower tone. “She is not the kind of person that says things twice. If I ask her about you again, I fear for my own job.”

Laura let out a frustrated breath, finally taking the seat offered to her. “Tell her…” She rolled her eyes. “Tell her it’s about Carmilla.”

“Carmilla?” The woman said with surprised eyes. Laura just nodded. “I’ll be back in a second.” She said before she left her desk and disappeared in the door behind her.

Laura waited nervously for an answer. She didn’t want to bring Carmilla into this any sooner than she had to, but it was her last resort. After less than a minute, Ms. Davis was back.

“She is giving you 5 minutes, Ms. Hollis. Nothing more than that.” She said holding the door to Laura.

“Thank you very much, Ms. Davis.” Laura said reaching the door.

 

The woman only nodded and gave her a warm smile. Laura found herself in an anteroom, taking deep breaths before she opened the big door that would lead her to Lilita Morgan’s office, the Dean of Silas University and Carmilla’s foster mother.

“Thank you for meeting me.” Was the first thing she said when the pale blue eyes met her behind a desk.

Lilita Morgan was a very slim and tall woman, with pale skin and a dark brown hair always up in a very careful bun. Her gaze always intimidated people, and her voice tone, even though it was calm and steady, could scare the bravest of the men. Laura felt that affect years ago, but it didn’t intimidate her too much then. Now, for some reason, it was making her feel like a teenager again.

“I was not very happy to hear your name again Ms. Hollis, I have to be honest.” She gestured for Laura to sit, and so Laura did. “But your insistence has intrigued me. What do you want?”

“I’m here to invite you to my wedding.” Laura said pulling the invitation from her purse and placing it over the desk.”

“And what that has to do with me?”

“Because I’m marrying Carmilla.”

For the first time that morning, Lilita Morgan’s demeanor changed, turning to something that Laura could not name.

“I didn’t even know that you two knew each other. Let alone that you were dating.” Her brows furrowed slightly. “Well, I haven’t known anything about Carmilla’s doings for quite a while now. So I can’t say I’m really surprised.”

“We haven’t been together for very long, really, but we wanted to make it official before our son is born.”

She nodded her head slowly, returning to her previous serious face. “And you are here, alone, to invite me because…?”

“I don’t know what happened between you and Carmilla exactly, but you are family and I think you should be there. It’s not like Carmilla has a ton of relatives.” 

“It was Carmilla’s decision to cease contact with me, not the other way around.” She said in a tone Laura could swear was beginning to show some bitterness.

“Well, if you turn your back on her now, it will be your decision.” She kept looking at the Dean with a firm, but gentle gaze. “It will be very simple. My father and Mattie will be the only other family present. Some of our close friends will attend too, but that just it.”

She blinked, looking at the invitation for a second. “And when will this be happening?”

“Saturday. The address in on the invitation, it’s not far from here.”

She looked at her gold watch, her face very serious again. “I have another meeting in 5 minutes, Ms. Hollis, you have to excuse me.”

“Okay.” Laura stood up and made her way to the door. All she could do was that. “I would be really happy if you’ll be there. And I’m sure Carmilla will be too. She’s just too proud to admit it.” She said by the door.

The Dean’s face kept that same expression, but when Laura was turning to leave, she heard her last words. “I can’t make any promises.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura arrived at the apartment when she got a text from Carmilla, saying she was bringing Mattie from the airport. Laura was using Perry’s car, while she and Carmilla were struggling to decide what car they would buy to be their family car. Laura wanted a mini-van, but Carmilla wanted something less “soccer mom.” She took a shower and spent more time than she wanted to looking for a decent outfit for her bachelor party. She wasn’t really excited about this, but Perry and Lafontaine had insisted on taking her for one last night out.

 

And meanwhile, Carmilla would go with Kirsch, S.J. and Mattie to a bar, since it had been forever since she’d been out or drank any alcohol (out of a sense of solidarity for Laura mostly).

 

But what concerned Laura the most was the moment she would finally meet Mattie; She was the only person in the family Carmilla cared about. She finally understood what Carmilla felt when she’d met her father. All she wanted was to make a good impression, but she knew nothing about Mattie besides the fact that she was a lawyer. Which was a little bit intimidating.

 

She heard the door opening in the living room. She gave one last look at herself in the mirror making a reassuring smile. “You can do this, Hollis.” She said to herself before she left the bedroom to face a very elegant and tall woman on her living room, with a very smiley Carmilla by her side.

Mattie looked at Laura with a large smile, turning briefly to Carmilla and nudging her stomach. “You were right, she is gorgeous, sis.”

Laura blushed nervously. “Hey, Mattie.” She said with her most shining smile.

“Come here, my dear, and give me a hug.” Mattie opened her arms widen to Laura.

Carmilla could not hold her satisfaction with the scene. She knew Mattie would be nice to Laura, but not so nice.

“It’s really nice to meet you.” Laura said after they were released from the hug.

“I can totally say the same, sweetheart.” She looked at Laura’s belly. “May I?” She gestured for the belly.

“Sure.” Laura said placing her hands on her sides. She was already used to people always touching her belly. 

Mattie extended her hand to Laura, touching the round and solid belly with her palm. Laura and Carmilla exchanged a look, while Mattie was trying to feel some movement.

“I think he is not in the mood to talk to his aunt Mattie.” She said with a disappointed look.

“Maybe he’s sleeping.” Laura said rubbing her lower right. “Wait, here.” She grabbed Mattie’s hand and placed on the spot she was just rubbing. “Can you feel it?”

Mattie squinted her eyes looking at Laura. She raised her brows in the next moment, when she felt a kick next to her hand. “Yeah, I can feel.” She giggled, moving her hand more to the left. “This is amazing!”

Carmilla placed a hand on her shoulder. “It seems that Riley already likes his aunt Mattie.”

“Well, who wouldn’t?” She said with a smug smile, stepping away from Laura.

“So humble, as always.” Carmilla smacked her shoulder playfully, approaching Laura, giving her a peck. “Ready for the party?”

“Kind of.” She sighed. “Perry and Laf are going to pick me up in ten minutes.”

“And I’m already late for mine.” She looked at Mattie. “Can you wait for me to take a shower? I’ll be ready very quickly.”

“Of course, I won’t go to out with you stinking like that.” Mattie snorted, dropping onto the couch.

“I’m not stinky!” She turned to Laura with puppy eyes. “Am I?”

Laura chuckled, lacing her arms around Carmilla’s neck. “Let me see.” She hovered by her neck, touching it very lightly with her nose. “Well…” She said with a fake disgusted tone.

“I’m not.” She protested weakly. “Right?”

Laura giggled. “No, you’re not.” She kissed Carmilla’s cheek and rubbed the spot right after to whip out the smudge of her lipstick.

Mattie laughed from the couch. “You’re so easy, Little Monster.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Shut up!”

Laura laughed too. Yeah, maybe it was not that bad to have a sibling.

 

**+++**

 

Laura, Perry and Lafontaine arrived at The Swag, a well-known strip club in the area. Laura was blindfolded the entire way, only getting her sight back when she entered the place. The blue and green lights made her eyes burn a little, after too much time in the dark.

“Is this a strip club?” Laura asked, eyes widening in disbelief, looking to a woman dancing on a large stage with dollar bills shoved into her scant pink clothing.

“It’s a bachelor party, what do you wanted?” Lafontaine said in return with an open smile.

“You told me once you were curious about this place, honey. So I thought maybe it could be a good idea?” Perry said testing the waters.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but…” She shrugged. “Since we’re here...”

“Are you sure? We can go somewhere else if you don’t feel comfortable here.” 

“Tell me you guys at least brought some singles?” Laura said looking to the both of them.

“Yes, we came prepared.” Lafontaine said pulling a stack of money from their pocket.

“Okay, so let’s do this!” Laura said animated, giving a high five to Lafontaine and Perry.

 

They walked to the front roll seats of the stage. They noticed that half of the public was formed by women. It was kind of strange. The woman with pink bikini left and after her a man came with a firefighter outfit.

“What the hell is that?” Laura asked, stepping away from her seat.

“This is kind of mixed club.” Lafontaine said to Laura. “It’s for men, women and all in the between.” They looked aloof to Laura and Perry, who was giving them hard stares. “You didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t know.” Laura said crossing her arms.

“I didn’t know too.” Perry said indignantly.

“Well, how could you not notice all the men and women coming in and out of here? That was sort of obvious.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Laura said. “Let’s just enjoy the night the best we can.”

 

They had a lot of fun looking at all kinds of different women making their own show. Laura made Lafontaine give some bills to a man dressed as a scientist, and Perry didn’t miss the chance to take a picture.

Lafontaine was in charge of taking pictures with Laura’s phone. She would send them later to Carmilla. Perry was blushing too much to even put some singles in a girl’s thong. They laughed at everyone and everything. As the hours were passing, the place was getting crowded. 

When Laura was trying to send some pictures to Carmilla, a brunette climbed on the stage.

“Wow, that one looks a lot like Carmilla.” Lafontaine said making Laura look up right away.

Her mouth hung open looking with disbelieving eyes at the girl making bold moves on a pole. Wavy dark hair, slim body, pale skin, curves that reminded her a lot of Carmilla. But the face… it was nothing like her. _Was that girl…?_

Laura didn’t have the time to conclude her thought, because Lafontaine was dragging her by her wrist. “Come here, L, we have another surprise for you.”

Perry made a loud hum, cleaning her throat. Lafontaine rolled their eyes. “Okay, _I_ have a surprise for you. Perry didn’t approve.”

“Of what?” Laura asked turning her head to the sides, looking at the both of them.

“Come with me and you will see.” They said pushing Laura by her shoulder. “Give me your phone, I’ll send pictures to Carmilla.”

 

The pair walked down a dark hall to west side of the club, stopping in front of pink door with the number 3 printed on it. Lafontaine opened the door, waiting expectantly for Laura to enter.

“What’s going on?” She looked with suspicious eyes to the red armchair in the middle of small room, surrounded by red and purple curtains.

“I got you a lap dance, no need to thank me.” They said before they closed the door, leaving Laura by herself on the other side.

“Laf! What the hell!” Laura yelled knocking the door back.

Laura barely had time to say something else when the lights dimmed and a loud music started to play. On the other side of the room, one of the curtains moved, revealing a blond woman with a golden bikini, Leia style and all, walking in the direction of Laura.

Laura covered her face with both hands, cursing under her breath. She was really considering fire her assistant. The music lower down, and Laura heard the blond talking with her, very closer to her ear.

“Come here, Cutie. Let’s have some fun.”

Laura dropped her hands and faced the stripper closer. Her eyes went wider and her whole body froze. The blond girl raised one brow, taking a better look at Laura.

“Are you…?” The girl said, giving a step back.

That face. Laura would never forget the face of the girl she thought Carmilla was cheating her with. “Oh god!” Laura covered her face again, suddenly she was feeling very cold.

“Laura, right? Carmilla’s fiancé?” Asked the girl, looking at her side and making a gesture to someone kill the music.

The room became silent and Elsie touched Laura’s shoulder gently. “I didn’t know it was you coming for the lap dance, sorry.”

Laura looked at her, still dazed by the surprise.

“Want to sit? You look kind of pale.” Elsie said gesturing for the armchair, grabbing a robe that was hidden behind of one of the curtains.

Laura just nodded, taking a few steps to reach the chair and sit. She leaned her back on the chair with a long sign, instinctively patting her belly.

Elsie paced in front of the chair for a while before she finally spoke again. “Look, I’m really sorry for what happened in your house. I know things are fine with you two, that’s the last thing Carmilla told weeks ago, but…” She took a deep breath. She was not the type to rambling like that, but for some reason, she felt utterly ashamed by Laura’s presence. “You shouldn’t have to go through something like that, never.”

“You’re the last person I was expecting to see.” Laura said looking down.

“I could say the same.” Elsie let out a weak laugh.

Laura finally looked up at her, furrowing her eyes a bit. “Do you like Carmilla?”

The question caught Elsie out of her guard. “Of course I do…I mean” She said with a confusion tone on her voice. “What do you…?”

Laura bit her lower lip, her eyes furrowing deeply. “I mean… do you have feelings for her?” 

Elsie opened her eyes wider. “No! Oh, no sweetie!” She shook her head pointedly. “I care about Carmilla, that’s what I meant. But I have no romantic feelings for her. At all.” 

“It’s just… it confuses me.” Laura made a thin line with her lips. “I know Carmilla doesn’t reciprocate, but you’re always flirting with her in your texts.”

“I… Girl, that’s what I do. I’m always flirting. It’s nothing personal.” She made an apologetic smile. “I would flirt with you, pregnant and all, if I didn’t know you’re with her… like Carmilla, you’re very hot.” She raised a brow. “So why wouldn’t I?”

Laura chuckled, feeling the tension down a bit for the first time since she entered that room. “You would really flirt with me?” She asked with a shy smile.

“Are you kidding me? Of course I would.” She crossed her arms and smiled again. “I wouldn’t even care if you were married or something, that’s never stopped me.”

Laura felt her face getting hot. “You’re just saying that to impresses me.”

“No, I’m not. Ask Carmilla. I told her to send you to my place, I’m all about sex-buddies.”

If it was possible Laura’s face was getting even redder “How can you do that? Aren’t you afraid you’ll fall for someone you can’t be with?”

“That’s the beauty of it, Cutie. I never fall for anyone.”

“Are you aromantic?”

“You’re a smart girl.” Elsie opened up a large smile “Now I see why Carmilla is with you.” She nodded biting her lower lip and wink. “I like you Laura.”

“Smart? More like pathetic, if you knew my story.”

“I’d kind of learned about you even before you got pregnant.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Carmilla was already crazy in love for you back then.” She chuckled “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but the last time we had sex she could not come at all. Her head was too much into you to enjoy anything else. Even me.”

Laura laughed timidly. She talked with Elsie for a few more minutes before she heard a knock on the door.

“Hey Laura, are you still there?” Lafontaine said on the other side.

“Yeah, I’m coming!” Laura said, leaving the chair. She turned to Elsie before reaching the door. “By the way, that brunette on the stage, I think her name was Vonda, was she the girl you took to my house?”

“Yeah, Vonda is my buddy now, she’s perfect.” Elsie smirked “She’s aro like me, so it’s a safe bet.”

Laura opened the door and found her assistant with a nervous smile.

“Is there something wrong, Laf?”

“I wouldn’t say exactly wrong, but Carmilla is coming.”

 

**+++**

 

Sure, Carmilla was having fun hanging out with her sister, one of her closer friends and his girlfriend. It’d been like forever since she’d had a drink or talked to her sister, so she couldn’t be feeling any better. But something was bugging her. She texted Laura a couple of times and got no response. She debated if she should call her or not and decided to just leave Laura to have some fun too.

 

One thing she was sure about that evening: she didn’t miss being single at all. She liked the comfort of being with Laura in their home. She loved the long talks, the teasing, and the little fights. She missed those warm arms around her, that pair of shining eyes, the smile that could make everything to feel better. She couldn’t get enough of their moments enjoying some good food, watching TV or just lying on the bed, making the other tremble with pleasure.

 

She felt her heart full with joy just thinking about Laura; Laura and her tiny human. Well, their tiny human. So, no, she was not feeling bad at all about leaving the single life behind her. She wasn’t celebrating her last days as a single woman, just enjoying an evening with friends and family. That’s all.

 

“What is going on inside that brain of yours, little sis?” Mattie asked taking another sip of her martini.

“I miss Laura.” Carmilla said supporting her head over her hand. They were sat alone on a booth, while Kirsch and S.J. were dancing with some weird Irish song.

“God, you are really in love, aren’t you?”

“Why do you think I’m marrying her, bighead?”

“I don’t know.” Mattie shrugged. “There are a lot of reasons people get married, love is definitely not the most common one.”

“Well, that’s because you only deal with rich people’s marriages, I’m sure.”

“Maybe you’re right, but in general I see how this works.” She raised one brow licking her lips “People think they are in love with the other person, but they are more in love with the idea of marriage than with the reality of it.”

“And what reality is that?”

“That sharing your life with another person also means to give up to a lot of things.” She looked to the couple dancing. “Have you thought about that?”

“Are you here to celebrate my wedding or to convince me not to do it?”

Mattie looked at her again “I just want to make sure you aren’t rushing things. You’ve known this girl for what? Eight months?”

“I discovered something.” Carmilla took another shot from her tray of tequilas. “You don’t need a lot of time to figure it out when you’ve really found the one.” She bit a slice of lemon, grimacing. “To know if you want to spend the rest of your life with a person.”

“How can you be so sure about that?”

“I just know.”

“Even after Ell?”

“Especially after Ell. Laura is different… she is special, you wouldn’t understand.” She looked at Kirsch and S.J. lame attempt to dance and laughed a bit.

“So, explain to me. I’m all ears, little monster.”

“I’m not going to say.” She scolded. “You’d tease me forever.”

“I’m not.” She raised her hand to Carmilla. “Scout’s honor.”

Carmilla furrowed her eyebrows “You’ve never been a scout.”

“Bigger sister honor, whatever, I’m giving you a freebie. No teasing. I promise” She nudged Carmilla. “Come on.”

“Alright.” Carmilla licked one of her fingers. “I feel like was waiting my whole life to me meet her.”

Mattie wrinkled her forehead “That’s it?”

“What else you want me to say? I love her, it’s irrational, I can’t explain more than this.”

“Alright, say no more.”

 

Carmilla heard the noise of a text being sent to her phone. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was from Laura. But instead of a message she just saw a picture. It was a selfie with Laura, Perry and Lafontaine in a place with bright lights. She scrolled down, seeing more pictures. The second was Laura tucking a dollar bill in a girl’s panties. The next was that same girl pushing her hips towards Laura’s face, with Perry making a very frightened expression while Laura just seems to be laughing.

“What’s going on there?” Mattie asked peeking Carmilla’s screen.

“I think they’re at some sort of strip club.”

“Didn’t expect for your girl to be so wild.”

“This is all Laf’s doing, I’m sure.” Carmilla noticed the name of the place on the third picture with Lafontaine showing a thumps up in front of their plate of French fries.

“We have to go.” Carmilla said with an urgent voice.

“Are you all jealous now?”

“That’s not it.”

 

**+++**

 

“Let me offer you a drink, is the least I can do after all the mess I caused.” Elsie said leading Laura to one reserved table in the back of the club, with a great view to the stage. The tables were higher than the stage, distributed in a U shape roll like a stadium. 

“I can’t really drink, you know…” Laura gesture for her belly and Elsie smacked her forehead.

“Of course, I’m such an airhead.” She pulled the chair for Laura. “You can’t deny a pizza, though, it’s the best thing in the house, besides me.” She smirked and Laura laughed.

“Alright, I won’t say no to a pizza.” She said siting.

Lafontaine was coming with Perry, sitting across from Laura. Elsie was talking to a waitress before turning to Laura’s friends and siting on the table with them.

“Elsie, these are my friends, Perry and Lafontaine.” Laura said introducing them.

“It’s really nice to meet you.” Elsie said extending her hand to both of them.

Perry and Lafontaine greeted her politely.

“So you know each other.” Lafontaine said.

“Actually Elsie is Carmilla’s friend.” Laura explained.

“Oh.” They nodded. “Oh.” They repeated still nodding. “Ohhhhh”. They said fully acknowledging the situation.

Laura and Perry looked at them with curious expression, then looked at each other, while Elsie was smirking.

“Elsie. Yeah I _heard_ something about you.” They smiled forcibly “More than I wanted.” They said under their breath.

“What I’m missing here?” Perry said with her eyes wide opened.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla called the night early, telling Kirsch and S.J. she would meet Laura at the strip club. Instead of going home, Kirsch decided to join Carmilla and Mattie, bringing along a not very amused S.J.

Carmilla was anxious when they pulled over into The Swag’s parking lot. She was trying her best to look cool. They entered the place and her eyes were scanning all over, looking for Laura.

“Alright, that’s what I’m talking about!” Kirsch yelled, making Sara Jane cringe with shame. “Now this looks like a bachelor party! Yeah!”

The place was crowded, it was the usual Wednesday - men and women night. She looked first around the stage, where the pictures were took, but none of them was there. Kirsch got interested in a pair of women dancing over at the stage, while Mattie went straight to the bar. She lost track of S.J.

It was almost impossible to avoid the wrinkles on her face, bumping into strangers and feeling some slippery hands passing on her body. She almost got into an argument when she saw some familiar heads in a booth at the extreme opposite side of the stage. Lafontaine, Perry, Laura and Elsie. Elsie? 

She was practically running with her heart basically beating out of her chest when she approached the group. They all seemed to be in a good mood and Carmilla almost couldn’t believe what she saw next: Laura and Elsie laughing together.

“Hey.” She said a timid smile, looking to all faces and stopping on Laura. “Are you okay there, Cupcake?”

“Yeah… just chatting with Elsie here.” Laura said happily biting her slice of pizza.

“Ahhh…” She said calmly, nodding slowly to Elsie. “Elsie, huh?”

“Cupcake? You two are so adorable.” Elsie stood up, making an apologetic smile. Carmilla kept her poker face on place. “Tell me you’re not still mad at me, Carmilla?”

“Why would I still be mad? I mean, you only almost ruined the best thing that has ever happened in my life? No reason to be mad at all.” She said biting her words, crossing her arms.

“You know I didn’t do it on purpose, Carmilla. Come on, cut me some slack, we’re friends.”

Before Carmilla was able to say something else, Laura stood up, making her way towards Carmilla. “I need to go to the bathroom.” She grabbed Carmilla’s hand. “And you’re coming with me.”

Perry was left with another questioning look, Lafontaine was scratching their chin and Elsie was raising her hands in a sign of surrender.

“We’ll be right back.” Laura said before she left, dragging Carmilla along.

 

Carmilla almost didn’t move from her place when Laura pulled her. If it was anyone else she wouldn’t move an inch, but it was Laura after all, so she just followed her. It was easier for Laura to cut a path through the crowd, once people saw her very pregnant state they just got out of the way. Laura found a large handicapped stall and took Carmilla with her inside of it, cutting the long line of women waiting to use the bathroom.

After closing the door she dropped her pants and asked Carmilla to help her to pee without touching the toilet.

“Are you really going to pee?” Carmilla asked holding her left arm and shoulder.

“Why did you think I said I wanted to go to the bathroom?”

“To yell at me or something.” She said, still irritated.

“I’m not your mother, I’m gonna yell at you.” She took a piece of toilet paper and dried herself. “But I will have a very calm talk with you.”

Carmilla let out a nervous breath. “Of course you will.”

“Can you stop being so stubborn?” She pulled up her pants. “I get that you’re mad at Elsie, but can’t we just enjoy tonight and forget about that horrible day once and for all?”

Carmilla ran a hand on her hair. “I can’t just shut it off, I’m really pissed with her.”

“So pretend that you are cool about it until you finally are.”

Carmilla let out a groan and someone knocked loudly on the stall door. “Hey, are you coming out or what? Some of us want to really use the bathroom here! You can fight somewhere else.”

Laura opened up the door displaying a forced smile. “Sorry.” She said to the nervous woman before her. This time she didn’t grabbed Carmilla’s hand, but her fiancé was following her like before. She washed her hands with a pointedly look at Carmilla, who got the message and washed her hands too.

They returned to their table, but Elsie was not there anymore.

“Elsie went to get ready for the big number.” Lafontaine said as soon as Laura reached the table. “But she said we could have whatever we wanted, it’s all on her tab.”

“Big number?” Laura asked looking to her friends. They both shrugged.

“There’s this presentation with all of the strippers, at 2 a.m.” Carmilla explained trying her best to not sound so broody. But it was basically impossible.

“Maybe we should see it closer, what do you think?” Perry said looking at Lafontaine.

They blinked twice before answered her. “Sure. Yeah it would be cool.” They stood up with Perry.

“Wanna come with us?” Perry asked as a courtesy, she knew Laura and Carmilla needed to be alone.

“My feet are swollen again, it’s better if I stay here, you can go ahead.” Laura said siting down on her previous place.

They waved small goodbyes and left the table completely. Carmilla sat by Laura’s side, leaning her back on the soft plush fabric. “Where did Mattie go?” She asked more to herself looking at her phone. “She might enjoy the show.”

 

Laura nodded, taking another slice of the large pizza in the middle of the table. Carmilla was looking at her and Laura just pushed the plate to Carmilla. She grabbed a slice too and ate her pizza in silence. The lights of the club were turned off, and only a spotlight was lighting up the stage. A woman with a shining red pants and bra got up on the stage with a microphone, greeting everybody there and introducing the main attraction of the night.

 

Laura and Carmilla kept watching the stage, while a loud music and a wave of green and blue lights was dancing around the place. Two dancers with black leather cowgirl outfits made their way to the stage, with fake guns and wooden horses, riding on the edge of the stage, playing at chasing each other. The first girl pretended to be injured, laying on the floor. When the second girl got closer, with a smirk to the audience, the first girl launched over the second girl, grabbing her leather vest and tossing it on the floor. They started a seductive dance, teasing each other with sassy looks and sneaky hands, starting the chasing all over again.

 

Carmilla laughed at the scene, looking to her side and seeing Laura with her mouth hanging open, pupils blown, eyes watching the stage like she was hypnotized. Carmilla gulped dry when she felt Laura’s left hand reaching her thigh and squeezing it. She took a deep breath, making Laura finally break contact with the stage. She licked her lips and this was just enough to make Laura pull her collar with her other hand, smashing their mouths in very heated kiss.

Carmilla felt her entire body shivering with a wave of desire. Laura’s touch had an indescribable power over her.

The music kept playing out loud, the stage had people coming on and off. Men, women; people of every description. But for Laura and Carmilla, there was nothing except each other.

Carmilla’s hands were gripping Laura’s hair, pulling just enough to make Laura moan into her mouth. Laura’s hand that had grabbing Carmilla’s thigh firmly made its way to her chest, squeezing her boob under the fabric of her shirt.

Carmilla’s right hand left Laura’s hair and grabbed her hips, spreading her legs and bringing Laura closer to her. They were wrapped up in each other, camouflaged by the darkness. All eyes were directed to the stage, and the loud and pulsing music muffled all the sounds of their extreme make out session.

Laura was beyond any sane state, responding only to her urge to touch Carmilla. While their mouths were still dancing in a steady and familiar rhythm, she was feeling the throbbing in her core getting more urgent as the pulsing of the music rolled through her. She released Carmilla’s collar, joining her hand on her hip. Carmilla’s hand was hot against hers, what helped on her resolution to get control of her impulses. She pulled Carmilla’s hand, guiding it to her pants, right under her waistband (she was wearing black yoga pants, the only kind that could fit her lately). Carmilla felt the fabric of her underwear wet under her fingers. She made a slow round with the tip of her fingers, brushing Laura gently.

Laura broke the kiss to let out a moan, tilting her head up. Carmilla smiled to her, gazing intensely at Laura, absorbing all of the reactions to every tiny brush of her hand. Her left hand was holding the nape of Laura’s neck and for a second Carmilla broke her eye contact to look at their surroundings. I didn’t take long to notice that all eyes were fixed on the stage and behind them only a wall was witness to their acts.

Carmilla bit her lower lip as Laura looked at her with pleading eyes. Laura’s hands were idle again, just waiting for Carmilla’s next move. Carmilla pulled Laura’s face closer to her again, touching her lips with light brushes of her own while her other hand were still caressing Laura’s covered folds. She found her swollen and hard clit under her fabric, as the same time her tongue was making its way inside Laura’s mouth, inciting another moan and an involuntary jerk of Laura’s hip. She smiled against Laura’s moth, quickening the motion of her hand. She withdrew her mouth from Laura, moving her head away enough to look into her eyes again, to watch her reaction when she touched Laura’s clit without any barrier between them. 

Laura took a deep breath, resting her head against Carmilla, whimpering with pleasure. Carmilla kept her rhythm steady, placing gentle kisses on Laura’s cheeks, feeling Laura’s finger digging further her thigh, with every brush.

Through the corner of her eye, Carmilla caught something out of the ordinary. She turned her head slightly to her left, and her suspicious were confirmed. Someone was making their way in the middle of crowd, getting closer to their table at every second. Carmilla identified the person clearly, when the lights of the stage passed briefly above the very familiar face: it was her sister Mattie.

She looked back at Laura, pulling her hand out from her pants, grabbing a napkin on the table wiping her fingers immediately. Laura opened her eyes widely, protesting with a loud and frustrated hum. Carmilla’s tossed the napkin on the floor, grabbing Laura’s hand from her chest and kissing it gently, making a discreet nod in Mattie’s direction.

Laura, panting and flustered, finally turned her head to the side, looking. Carmilla let out an inaudible “I’m sorry” when Laura looked at her again. Carmilla brushed Laura’s hair, tucking a lock behind her ear and giving her a peck, as another apology. Mattie was finally before them, propping her hand on her waist. She leaned in Carmilla’s ear.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your _moment_ , but your friend Kirsch is totally wasted and is making quite a scene down there.”

“Show me the way.” Carmilla replied to her, then turning to Laura to give her the bad news.

Laura sighed, letting out in a breath all of her frustrations. Carmilla stood up, offering her hand to Laura. They followed Mattie through the crowd, taking a few glances at the stage. Now it was a man and woman doing some sort of BDSM performance.

This place is really weird, Laura thought looking to her front again. They found Kirsch wandering with his hands grabbing his head desperately, his eyes red and watering.

“She left, dude! She just left!” He whined to Carmilla as soon he saw her.

People were staring at Kirsch, keeping a safe distance from him. Carmilla placed an arm around his back, leading Kirsch outside of the club, while holding Laura’s hand on her other side. Kirsch complied with her letting her guide him.

“What is going on, Kirsch?” Carmilla asked him, feeling the chilling air of the night.

“Sara Jane… she dumped me… damn, what did I do? I’m so fucking stupid!”

Laura was rubbing her arms and Carmilla didn’t know what to do next. She looked at her sides instinctively and before she could think of anything else, Mattie was taking off her blazer and handing it to Laura.

“You don’t have to.” Laura said shaking her head with a polite smile.

“You don’t have to be polite with me, darling, we are all family in here.” She insisted placing her blazer around Laura’s shoulder.

“Thank you.” Laura said snuggling in the black long blazer.

Carmilla was saying some soothing words to Kirsch and Mattie approached her. “Let’s take this big guy to his house?”

“Yeah, what do you say to that, Kirsch?”

“But S.J…” He mumbled.

“We will find her tomorrow, my dear. And then you can explain her everything, alright? Just let her clear her mind for one night.” Mattie said brushing Kirsch’s arm kindly.

“But, what if it’s too late?”

“How long have you been together?”

“For like…” Kirsch looked up, mentally counting. “Four months.”

“That’s a long time. No girl would end a relationship that long just like that, my dear.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Mattie is right, Kirsch. Come on, let’s go home and sober up a bit.” Carmilla said.

 

The two sisters got the big puppy into Laura’s car. Carmilla turned to Laura and asked if she wanted to go home while she dealt with Kirsch. Laura said she was fine and sat in the front seat with Carmilla, while Mattie was in the back consoling Kirsch. Luckily, Kirsch’s housemate Theo was in his apartment and helped to carry Kirsch to his room. Carmilla told Theo what happened to Kirsch and his housemate promised to take care of him.

Carmilla gave Mattie a ride to her hotel, thanking her for everything she did in the night. Laura wanted to return her jacket, but Mattie insisted for Laura to keep it. Carmilla drove them home, it was really late.

“What a crazy night.” Laura said with a long sigh, stretching her back on the passenger’s seat.

“Tell me about it.” Carmilla let out a frustrated groan. “Bachelor parties are overrated.” Laura giggled. “Fortunately I’ll only have to do it once in my life.”

Laura extended her hand to Carmilla and they kept them together until they arrived at their place. They dropped onto the bed, exhausted.

“Shouldn’t we take a shower or change our clothes at least?” Laura said, making herself comfortable in her sea of pillows.

“Let’s just stay here for a while, then we can do that.” Carmilla said spooning Laura.

“That what? Take a shower or change our clothes?”

“What about just take off our clothes and finish what we started at the club?” Carmilla said in her ear, receiving a giggle from Laura.

“Oh god! That was so damn hot…” Laura pulled Carmilla’s hand and laced their fingers together. “We need to go back there another day and do that again, all the way.”

“So do you want to have another fight that will lead me to fingering you while Kirsch is making a fool of himself in the middle of the club?”

“You sure know how to ruin things.” She groaned. “You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know…” She sighed. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Of course not.”

“Do you really think I should just pretend that everything was fine, even though it was not really?”

“No… I mean, that’s what I do sometimes. Fake until you make it, you know?” 

“Why?”

“I don’t know. That’s how I deal with things. You shouldn’t do the same thing… I wasn’t thinking straight, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to, you know?” Carmilla place a sweet kiss on her nape “To pretend that things are fine when they are not. You can tell me whatever it is and I can help you or we can just be mad together… until we are not.”

“Just like that?”

“Yep.”

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m too tired, or because this was a really crazy day, but maybe that makes sense?”

“We can sleep a little bit and talk about this again tomorrow, what do you say?”

“I think that makes even more sense.”

“Alright.” Carmilla kissed her neck again and Laura squeezed her hand. “Goodnight, Cupcake.”

“Goodnight, Carm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter were revised by Robin, who also helped me to make the Dean sound like the Dean.  
> Robin's Tumblr: http://fallenforathunderclap.tumblr.com/
> 
> This chapter was named after a Metallica song.
> 
> If you want to know updates of the schedule or how the fic is going, you can check my tumblr for this information.  
> http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/
> 
> And chapter 30 is all about the event that you've been waiting for... ;)


	30. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hollstein wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter so far.

**Chapter 30 – Forever**

 

Carmilla woke up strangely early the next morning. She had a mild headache; probably a side effect of the long night. Laura was sound asleep by her side, so she just left the bed and took a well-deserved shower. She was proud of herself for not having drunk too much; otherwise her night would likely have ended disastrously. She went to the kitchen and started to make pancakes. When she was in the right mood, she liked to prepare the mix from scratch; using a recipe she’d improved over the years. Laura noticed when the pancakes were made using Carmilla’s recipe and said they were the best in the world, so it was very satisfying to cook them for her Cupcake.

 

After a few minutes she heard the sound of sloppy steps dragging in the hardwood floor coming from the hall. She turned to see Laura with her messy hair, still wearing the clothes from the day before, scratching her eyes.

 

“Are you making pancakes?” She said in her husky morning voice. It was so adorable, that Carmilla could not hold the smile sneaking on her face.

“Yes, I am. Morning, Cupcake.”

“Morning.” She said giving two more steps and kissing Carmilla’s left cheek. 

Carmilla place the bowl over the counter and pulled Laura for a proper hug, brushing her belly in the process. She turned to kiss Laura on her lips, but she diverted her face from Carmilla. “Morning breath.” She whined.

“How many times I have to say that I don’t care?” Carmilla kissed her cheek instead and brushed the belly again. “And how are you doing there, little one?” She said hunching down a bit.

“He was basically moving all night.” She mumbled.

Carmilla looked up to her. “So that’s why you’re such a grump this morning?” She said with a teasing smile.

Laura nodded, humming slightly. Carmilla hugged her again.

“So, take a nice shower and by the time you’re done, there will be fluffy, warm and delicious pancakes here waiting for you.” She said softly into Laura’s ear, brushing her back. “Okay?” She kissed her forehead and Laura hummed another answer agreeing.

 

While Laura was taking her shower, Carmilla finished stirring the batter. By the time Laura was back, wearing her working clothes, the smell of pancakes were all over the apartment. She sat down by the kitchen table, where Carmilla had set their plates, the syrup, butter and two mugs of cocoa. Laura took a sip for her mug, closing her eyes with the soothing warmth of the drink.

 

Carmilla placed a pile of pancakes in the middle of the table, piling most of them onto Laura’s plate. Laura smiled to her taking the butter to spread on her pancakes. Carmilla smiled back and for a moment they ate in a comfortable silence.

 

“I’m going to miss this.” Laura said halfway through her pancakes. “These little moments we shared in this apartment.”

“Me too.” Carmilla said back, stuffing her mouth with a big chunk of pancakes. “But we will create new memories in our new home.”

Laura laughed with Carmilla clumsiness, speaking with her mouth full. “Yes, we will.” She looked at her watch. “We have just a few hours to shop, by noon I have to meet with Rosa.”

“The seamstress?”

“Yeah, she is making me a dress from the scratch, because nothing looked good or was really fitting me in the store.”

“I’m sure you’re going to look amazing.” Carmilla winked to her.

“I wish!” Laura looked up sheepishly and Carmilla bit her lower lip.

“You will, Cupcake. You’re so beautiful, it’s impossible for you to look bad in any dress.”

Laura giggled. “Anyway…” She started to fidget with her fork. “I got some things online, so I don’t think we need to buy too much stuff in the end.”

“We need a good stroller, I was taking a look at that baby store the other day.”

“Oh, I remember that day, you sent me dozens of stroller pictures, you’re probably an expert by now.”

Carmilla chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that I’m an expert, but I think I know what could be the best for us.”

“You can show me today and we can buy it and move forward with other stuff, like the moving.”

“There is just our personal stuff here, some clothes and kitchen appliances. Kirsch is going to give me a hand tomorrow and all will be done quickly.”

“But don’t take everything, don’t forget that you’re sleeping here on Friday and Saturday.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Can’t believe that you really want to do that.”

“It’s one tradition that I want to keep.”

“Stupid tradition invented by superstitious straight people.” Carmilla groaned. “I don’t want to sleep without you.”

“It’s just for one day!” Laura said, her voice high-pitched, raising her hands.

She shook her head. “Fine! But we are not going to do this again, ever. Not voluntarily, at least.”

“Okay, promise!” Laura stood up kissing Carmilla’s cheek. “I’m going to-“

“Pee, I know.” Carmilla, said brooding.

“Now you’re the grumpy one.” Laura said out loud on her way to the bathroom.

“For good reason.” Carmilla mumbled.

Someone knocked on the door and Carmilla raised a brow.

“That’s Laf!” Laura yelled from the bathroom.

Carmilla stood up and opened the door, giving a polite smile to her friend.

“Come in.” She said to them. Lafontaine nodded to her, with a serious face.

“Thanks.” They said, entering the apartment. Things were still weird between the two of them.

Carmilla headed to the table, removing the dishes and the remains of breakfast.

“And where is Laura?” They asked keeping their eyes on their cellphone.

“In the bathroom, coming in a bit.”

“Okay.”

“How are things?” Carmilla asked putting some things in the fridge.

“Good.” They nodded. “And everything is on track for your wedding.”

“Good to know.” Carmilla nodded to them before she turned to wash the dishes in the sink.

Lafontaine was the one responsible for Carmilla and Laura’s wedding. It was the first and probably only wedding they were dealing by themselves.

“I just need to give you some updates.” They said, sitting down on the kitchen island.

 

After a minute Laura was coming from the bathroom greeting her friend and assistant, asking them to sit on the armchair. She sat on the couch.

“So, how are things going? I know there is not much to take care of, but it’s always good to know what it’s going on.”

“Actually there are more things happening, that’s why I came by.”

Laura raised her eyebrows worried. “What do you mean?”

“First, the basics.” They raised their eyes from their phone. “The venue is all set, we only need to reserve the tables and the benches. The weather is steady, so we don’t need to worry about the rain.”

“Okay.”

“The officiator is confirmed. Rosa said that the dress is ready for the first fitting, your appointment is up for noon. The rings are secured with Perry and Mrs. Claus has your reservation confirmed.” They looked up to her. “And the other stuff.” They paused to take a quick breath. “Donna is sending white roses and yellow tulips, she wants to know when and where to send them.”

“What?”

“Jane is sending picnic food, she wants to know how many guests you are going to have.”

“But…”

“Lenny is sending drinks and other beverages; he also wants to know the number of guests. Finally, Emily is preparing a cake and is also sending some cookies and little baskets with other baked goods.”

“Wow, hold on.” Laura said with widened eyes, raising her hands to Lafontaine. Carmilla was coming from the kitchen, with an inquisitive look. “Why people are sending things? We didn’t order anything. Right?”

Carmilla was sitting by her side when Lafontaine opened an animated smile. “They’re gifts.” They simply said.

“Gifts? But I didn’t even say I was getting married.”

“But they know.”

“How?” Laura had specifically asked everybody at her company to not say anything to her suppliers and clients. She didn’t want to explain why she wasn’t inviting anyone, so she thought it would be better if she gave them the news after she was already married.

“I don’t know.” They shrugged. “Nobody said anything. Not me, or Perry, and I even checked with Kirsch.”

They looked at each other with surprised faces while Carmilla looked on with a strange expression on her face.

“What matters is that they want to congratulate you giving stuff for your wedding.” They looked at Carmilla. “Are not happy, Vampira? People are giving you things for free because they all like your fiancé a lot.” They chuckled and Laura could not believe yet what was going on.

Carmilla looked up to them with her brows furrowed. “I think it was me.” She said guiltily. They both looked at her. “I mentioned to Kelly about our wedding on this Saturday. I told her it would only be your father, my sister and some close friends.”

“That explains everything.” They said looking to Laura.

“Are you mad at me?” Carmilla said still holding an uneasy grin.

“Of course not. I’m just…” She took Carmilla’s hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Surprised.” She smiled weakly, shedding some tears. “Didn’t know people cared about us this much.”

“Of course they do, Laura. You are always so nice to them, and you help them make more money every day. Why wouldn’t they like you?” Lafontaine said like it was so obvious.

“I don’t know.” She said with more tears running down her face.

Carmilla wrapped her arms around her, giving a tender kiss on her temple.

“So, tell them all they need to know, Laf.” Laura said sniffing. “And cancel the reservation with Mrs. Claus.”

“I’m on it!” They said enthusiastically, grabbing their cellphone again.

She caressed Carmilla’s thigh “I’m going to fix my makeup, I’ll be out soon, okay?”

“Okay.” Carmilla said nodding and giving her a peck. Laura smiled against Carmilla’s mouth. She took a deep breath standing up and heading to the bathroom.

Carmilla looked to her friend and let out a relieved breath. “I thought she would be really pissed.”

They chuckled. “At least now I understand what happened. I was getting worried she would be mad at _me_.”

 

Lafontaine was tapping on their cellphone and Carmilla leaned her back on the couch. She looked at her empty shelves and walls, then to her friend again.

“Are we cool, Laf?”

They typed a little bit more on their phone before looking up to Carmilla. “Yes, we are.”

“Because if you’re still mad about that thing in the car-“

“Look, we’re cool.” They said pointedly. “Please just drop it.”

Laura arrived in the living room with her purse in her hands.

“Okay.” Carmilla said standing up. “Shall we?” She said, offering Laura her and gesturing at the door.

“Yes.” Laura said nodding, looping her arm with Carmilla’s.

“Can I stay around here for a while to use your Wi-Fi?” Lafontaine said keeping their eyes on their cellphone.

Carmilla shrugged. “Sure.”

“If you need anything else, just call, Laf.” Laura said, standing by the door.

“I will.”

“And tell Perry to not forget about my dress fitting at Rosa’s atelier.”

“Alright.”

Carmilla wanted to say something funny but she held her tongue. She could not risk another awkward moment with her friend just a few days from her wedding.

 

**+++**

 

“Have you written your vows yet?” Laura asked while Carmilla was driving.

“I’m still working on them. What about you?”

“I finished them last week.”

Carmilla chuckled. “Nerd. You were probably one of those kids who always did their homework right when it was assigned and never left it until the last minute.”

“That’s called being a responsible person.”

“So you’re saying I’m not responsible.”

“No, I’m saying you’re lazy. It shouldn’t be this hard for you, you’re a writer.”

“Well I’ve never written something like this before. Also I haven’t been to many weddings, so I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”

Laura thought for a moment. “There isn’t really a right thing to do. I wrote about my feelings for you and then the promises I wanted to make.”

Carmilla nodded. “That’s a good place to start.”

 

Laura smiled at her and her thoughts wandered to another thing that had been floating around in the back of her mind.

“What was that with you and Laf? What happened in the car?” 

“I was just teasing them, bragging about our sex life.” Carmilla said aloof.

“Carm! How can you do that? They work with me!”

“I just said we had a great sex life and they got mad saying something like they were not rocking anyone’s world, but they were fine.” She shrugged.

“Oh no.” Laura sighed, covering her face with both hands.

“Oh no, what?” Carmilla looked briefly to her.

“I think I know what it is.” She rested her hands over her belly, looking at Carmilla. “The other day I was talking to Perry, she said I looked happy and I said I was happy because you make me very happy and…” She trailed off.

“And?” Carmilla asked raising a brow. She stopped the car at a red light.

“You know, it was right after our road trip, and those days were amazing, so I looked happy-”

“Laura.” Carmilla tilted her head to the side.

“Right. I was telling her how you’re perfect for me, because you are, and that we had a great sex life and that you rocked my world.” Laura said, sounding high-pitched and very guilty.

Carmilla raised both eyebrows “So, you can tell your friend we have an awesome sex life, but I can’t?”

“Well, it’s clearly not the same.” Laura said in a defensive tone.

“It’s exactly the same!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Why not?”

“I was having a serious and deeply conversation with my best friend. You were teasing Laf, you said yourself.”

“With a true fact about us.” She chucked. “Didn’t know _you_ were bragging with your friend about how _I rocked your world_.” She smirked at the end of that sentence, looking at the green light and driving forward. 

Laura raised one hand in a frustrated fist. “God, I knew I shouldn’t say that, you’re so full of yourself sometimes.”

“I’m full of myself? Those were your own words.” She shook her head. “You’re welcome by the way.” She said in a sarcastic tone.

“Your friend… No, our friends are having problems in bed and you are make fun of them and bragging about yourself.”

“I was not making fun of them, I didn’t even know what was going on. But now that you explained it, maybe I can give them some advice.”

“To both of them?”

“No, to Lafontaine only, of course. In what world would I talk about sex with Perry?”

“Right.” She nodded leaning her back on the seat again. “What are you going to say to them?”

“I don’t know yet, but I will think of something.”

“Okay.”

 

They reached the baby store and Carmilla showed Laura the strollers she had been researching. She listed all the pros and cons, and even used a baby doll as a prop, riding with the toy through the aisles to show Laura what could be the best for them. Laura forgot all about their disagreement on the car and looked proud at Carmilla’s enthusiasm towards something so simple like a stroller.

 

She didn’t have a doubt before, but after that moment she was more sure than she’d ever been that Carmilla would be a great mother. Caring, protective and loyal.

“And this one is really easy to mount, we can do it in seconds.” She was assembling the third stroller she had elected when she noticed Laura looking with heart eyes to her. “What?” 

Laura smile grew widen. “You’re so cute talking about strollers.”

Carmilla bit her lower lip to disguise the smile that threatened to appear on her face. “No, I’m not.”

Laura nodded approaching to her. “You are going to be a great mom, do you know that?” She enlaced her arms around Carmilla’s neck, resting her forehead on hers. “And a great wife.” She smiled showing all of her teeth, making Carmilla blush. It was a rare scene.

Carmilla just smiled sheepishly to her, wrapping her arms around Laura’s back. “You’re perfect for me too, Cupcake.” She said in very low tone.

Laura closed her eyes touching Carmilla’s lips with her own. That was a very special kiss, for reasons she could not explain. “I love you.” She said after she broke she kiss gently, caressing Carmilla’s jaw.

“So, did you like this last one better?” Carmilla said giggling.

“Yeah, I think I did.” She brushed Carmilla’s hair, looking at her with a serene expression. “Can’t wait to use it with a real baby.”

“Me too.” Carmilla said brushing her belly.

 

**+++**

 

With a brand new stroller on the trunk of the car, Carmilla was driving Laura to Rosa’s Atelier. They would have dinner later with Mr. Hollis and Mattie at his house. It would be the last dinner with the family before the big day and both of them were nervous about that. 

“Can’t understand why Perry is not answering my texts.” Laura mumbled looking at her phone. “Rosa has a tight schedule, she can’t be late.”

“I can go with you.” Carmilla suggested.

“But you can’t see the dress, Carm. That’s the whole point of bringing Perry with me.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. She didn’t care a bit about those traditions, but she was letting Laura have whatever she wanted for their wedding. Carmilla just wanted to sign the papers and celebrate with champagne and good food.

 

She parked in front of Rosa’s shop and Laura was still distracted by her phone. When she noticed where they were she looked at Carmilla.

“You can go home, I’ll wait for Perry here.”

“Do you even know if she is coming?”

“No. But I think she is probably stuck with the Johnsons’ wedding. They’re a very picky couple.”

“So I’ll go with you. And I promise I won’t look at the dress.”

“But, Carm-”

“I won’t leave you here alone. It’s just a fitting, right?”

“Yeah, but…” She looked frustrated to her phone again. “Fine, let’s go.”

 

They entered the shop and the place was crowded. A young lady on the counter guided Laura to the back and she took Carmilla with her by her hand. Rosa was working on a dress on a dress form and greeted Laura and Carmilla. Laura presented Carmilla as her fiancé.

“So, your bride is the pretty lady, huh?” Rosa said nudging Laura playfully with her shoulders.

Carmilla blushed for the second time in that day. 

“Yeah, my very pretty lady.” Laura said winking to Carmilla, making her blush even more.

“Alright. Wait here for a minute, I’ll take your dress.” She gesture for a chair and Laura sat down.

Carmilla was pacing in the atelier, with her hands tucked in her jeans pocket, looking at some dress in a rack. Less than a minute later, Rosa was returning with Laura’s dress on her hands.

“Come here.” Laura said gesturing for Carmilla. She stood up and turned the chair to face the opposite side of the area where the fitting would happen. “Just sit tight in here while I get dressed.”

“Okay.” Carmilla said raising her shoulders a bit. She sat down and Laura hunched over her ear.

“And don’t peek.”

“I won’t, mom.” Carmilla rolled her eyes.

“You better not.” Laura said kissing her cheek and turning away.

“I did exactly the way you wanted with the hem.” Rosa said animatedly when Laura approached her.

“It’s perfect!” Laura said enthusiastic. “Let me try it on right now.”

She walked to Carmilla again, asking her to hold her purse. Carmilla didn’t say anything; she just held the purse on her lap and took out her phone to send some texts to Mattie.

 

While Laura and Rosa was chatting about fabrics and knots, Carmilla was doing her best to not pay attention to the conversation and the rustle of clothing. She was trading amicable insults with Mattie for some minutes, when Laura called her again, pleading.

“Carm?”

“Yes, Cupcake?”

“Can you help me get out of my dress?”

“Why?”

“Rosa went to talk with a client and I’m waiting forever and I’m sweating and tired and I can’t sit because of the pins-“

“I’ll help you.” Carmilla said standing up.

“Close your eyes.” Laura alerted.

“Okay.” She said, resigned, turning from the chair and closing her eyes..

“Just two steps in that direction.” Laura said getting to the edge of the carpet where she should stay with the dress. After the two steps, Laura took Carmilla’s hand and turned herself. “Here is my zipper.” She said placing Carmilla’s hand on her back.

Carmilla touched the hem of the fabric and held the top of the dress with her other hand, pulling down the zipper with the first. She let out a giggle. “This brings back some good memories.” She said with her eyes still closed.

“Yeah.” Laura nodded giggling too. “But we’re in reverse positions now.” She stepped away from Carmilla, taking off the dress.

“And unlike you that time I can’t see your boobs now, which is not very fair.” Carmilla said crossing her arms.

Laura let out an indignant gasp, turning to Carmilla. “That was an accident, it’s not like I was trying to see you naked.”

Carmilla chuckled “You were totally checking me out. I bet your hormones were doing a number on you.”

Laura shook her head taking her clothes and getting herself dress again. “They were driving me crazy, but that’s not the only reason I looked at you.”

Carmilla opened her eyes and Laura scolded her. “Hey, I didn’t say you could open your eyes yet.” 

“I didn’t see anything.” Carmilla protested closing her eyes again. “So why did you look at me that day?”

Laura finished getting dressed and Rosa returned.

“Sorry Ms. Laura, just doing a last minute fix on a client’s dress.” She took Laura’s dress from the couch and placed it over her table, looking amused at Carmilla with her eyes closed in the middle of the room. 

“Not a problem, Rosa, I manage to get out of the dress with Carmilla’s help and she didn’t see anything. I guess.” She looked at Carmilla again, who was pouting. “You can open your eyes now.” Laura said, tapping her shoulder.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla parked in front of the hotel and Mattie was already there, making her way to the car. Laura was unbuckling her seat belt in a rushed pace.

“I shouldn’t have to drink this much water, now I need to pee again.”

“No problem.” Carmilla said.

“Hello, Darlings!” Mattie greeted them cheerfully.

“Hi!” Laura said to Mattie. “I’ll be right back” She said to both of them before she left the car.

“What is going on?” Mattie asked from the back seat to Carmilla.

“She needs to pee. Her bladder gets full very fast at this stage of pregnancy.”

“Oh, didn’t know that.” Mattie looked at her left side, noticing a baby car seat attached to the other seat. “And didn’t know you were so ready for a baby, isn’t it a little early for this thing?”

Carmilla turned her head to the back. “We’re just seeing if it fits right. It’s kind of hard to attach this thing in the car, but it’s very practical, cause it’s also part of the stroller, so you don’t have to buckle and unbuckle the baby all the time when you leave the car and switch to the stroller.”

Mattie chuckled lightly, securing herself in the car. “When you’re serious about something, little monster, you really don’t play around, huh?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes looking forward again. She peeked at the rear mirror and Mattie was still holding her smugly smile. She decided to put her sister on the spotlight.

“Speaking of playing around, are you seeing anyone?” 

“I’m always seeing someone, like you used to do.” She looked at Carmilla again with a raised brow. “You’re not seeing other people, are you?”

“Of course not, Mattie. Since I’m with Laura I didn’t have seen anyone and I don’t intent to.”

“Really? Don’t you miss the thrill of meeting a new person… you know, the chance to explore a new body?”

“No, I don’t miss any of that.” She turned to look at Mattie. “Honestly.”

Mattie inclined to get closer to Carmilla. “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get bored of her?”

“Me, bored of Laura?” She chuckled. “I think that’s impossible.” She laughed a little more. “Crazy maybe, but never bored.”

“Well, I really need to know your girl better, little sis. Because I still don’t see what it is about her that fascinates you so much.”

“Maybe if you stick around more, you will.”

“It was hard to get these days off from the office. I’m still on the clock, even here.”

Carmilla shrugged and Laura returned from the hotel lobby looking relieved.

“Sorry I took so long.”

“It’s okay.” Carmilla said to her, driving them to Mr. Hollis’s house.

 

**+++**

 

They arrived at Mr. Hollis’s at eight p.m. and the table was already set, just waiting for them to eat. Mr. Hollis greeted Mattie very chivalrously, making some classic dad jokes. They made some small talk before heading to the dinner room. Mr. Hollis had made his special roast beef with potatoes, getting compliments and excited glances from his guests.

“So, are you going to be the only family on Carmilla’s side?” Mr. Hollis asked Mattie.

“Yes, it seems like.” She answered. “Will lives in his little world, and mother… well.” She just shrugged and Carmilla looked with a slight frown to her.

“What about your mother?” Mr. Hollis said looking at Carmilla. “You didn’t invite her, kid?”

“No, I didn’t.” Carmilla said dryly, taking a sip from her juice. “So she isn’t coming.”

“Why not?” He looked at both sisters, while Laura was looking down at her plate.

“It’s better this way.” Carmilla said, trying to disguise her irritation with that subject.

Laura looked up staring at Carmilla. “Maybe she’ll come.”

Carmilla froze in place, her face turned to an even paler shade.

“I invited her.” Laura explained, keeping a brave face.

“Why?” Carmilla finally said after a few seconds of silence. “Hadn’t we agreed to not invite her?”

“We didn’t agree on anything.” Laura’s expression turning to anger. “She’s your mother, Carmilla. She should be invited, it was the right thing to do.”

Carmilla clenched her hands into fists. She wanted yell at Laura with the full force of her lungs, and maybe she would have, if she hadn’t been so worried about the effects of stress on their baby. 

“You don’t know what you are talking about.” She said lowering her voice, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“If I had a mother I would invite her to my wedding no matter what.”

“It’s not… I’m…” She took deep breaths and stood up from the table. “I need some air.” She said harshly, making her way out through the back door.

 

Mattie and Mr. Hollis looked at each other with apprehensive expressions, while Laura was looking down at her plate again. Her anger turned into sorrow and tears started running down her face. _Damn hormones_ , she thought to herself.

She stood up, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, taking the same route out like Carmilla just did.

Mr. Hollis and Mattie looked at each other. Mr. Hollis started getting up and Mattie touched his hand. “Let them be.”

He looked down at her, worried, sitting down again. “I’ve never seen them fight like that.” He said letting out a long breath. “Well, I guess I’ve never seen them fight at all.”

“Every couple fights, it’s not a big deal.” Mattie shrugged.

“It’s been a long time since… I don’t know how it’s supposed to be.” Mr. Hollis confessed.

“Carmilla’s history with our mother is complicated. I agree with Laura, but Carmilla certainly has her reasons to be upset.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura walked out to her father backyard and found Carmilla lying on the grass, looking at the night sky. She stood up by her side for a moment, until Carmilla diverted her eyes from the stars and focused on her. Laura lowered herself and sat down on the grass.

“It can’t be that bad, Carmilla.” She sighed wiping her eyes again. “I can call and ask her not to come.”

Carmilla looked at the stars again and her hurt expression was making Laura to feel even worse.

“I thought you’d be happy if she showed up to give you a hug or something. It’s your wedding day, you want your family around. You want your mother there with you…” She let out another long breath. “Maybe I was thinking more about me than you, I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to fight about this.” Carmilla said in a small, weak voice.

“So tell me what’s going on! You said that if I have a problem I can tell you anything, but right now you are just shutting me out.”

Carmilla turned quiet again and Laura waited a few more minutes in vain. She shifted her body to stand up, but that was almost impossible with her balance so affected in the last weeks.

“She would love to see it.” Carmilla said in that same small voice.

Laura looked at her, forgetting the frustration with her attempt to get up. Carmilla finally looked at her again.

“My real mother. She would love to see us get married.” Carmilla said, louder.

Laura lowered herself back down, laying by Carmilla’s side, keeping her eyes trained on the dark brown irises of her fiancé. She wasn’t expecting any of that. When she looked at Carmilla’s problems it was hard to put herself in Carmilla’s shoes. Their differences were something that they would always have to deal with.

“I don’t hate Lilita, but when I look at her, all I can think is how much I’ve disappointed her and that I’ll never be good enough.”

Laura extended her hand and touched Carmilla’s over the grass, giving it a light squeeze. Carmilla expression became softer, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“I’ll call her, you don’t have to worry.” Laura said.

Carmilla opened her eyes. “You don’t have to. I don’t think she will come, but if she does, well…” She took another long breath. “I have to face her sooner or later anyway, might as well be in my wedding day. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Carmilla squeezed Laura’s hand this time and Laura gave her a reassurance smile that turned quickly to a frown.

“Oh crap.” Laura said shifting in place. “I need to pee.”  
“I got you.” Carmilla said standing up and offering her hands to Laura.

 

After some pulls, Laura was wiping the grass from her clothes and Carmilla was walking by her side. “Is everything okay?” Carmilla asked looking worried at Laura.

“Of course. Just the same old squished bladder as always.” Laura placed her hand on Carmilla shoulder to give it a quick pat, before she headed to the bathroom.

Carmilla entered the dinner room again and Mattie was chatting with Mr. Hollis. They both looked at her and the tension grew in the silence.

“I think it’s time for dessert.” Mr. Hollis said with a polite smile leaving to the kitchen.

Carmilla nodded and headed to the table taking the plates and pilling them up. Mattie raised one brow, looking inquisitively at Carmilla.

“What?” Carmilla said noticing Mattie’s gaze towards her.

“Nothing, little sis.” She said, a sassy smile on her face, while Carmilla was taking the rest of the plates and silverware and taking them to the kitchen.

The rest of the night went smoothly. They ate dessert while Mr. Hollis told some stories about the month he and Carmilla had worked on the house. He never knew how Laura found out about the surprise exactly, but he also told Mattie how his daughter gave him a hard time about it. They laughed about the whole thing. Mattie didn’t say anything, but she finally realized what made Carmilla change so much. She had finally found her match. And she thought that maybe, for the first time, she was witnessing what a marriage based on true love could look like.

 

**+++**

 

“Carm? Are you awake?” Laura asked shaking Carmilla’s torso.

Carmilla opened her eyes startled by Laura’s voice. “Is everything okay?” She asked with half lids eyes opened.

“Just checking if you were awake.” Laura said with a guilty face. “It’s nothing, really.”

“Okay.” Carmilla said turning and placing her arm around Laura’s belly. She closed her eyes, but her brain was noticing more than she wanted.

 

Laura was still awake and twitching in bed all the time. She stood up and went to bathroom for the third time in that night. If hydration wasn’t so important, she would cease to drink at all.

“Is he moving again?” Carmilla asked with closed eyes when Laura returned and laid down by her side.

“No, I think he is finally sleeping at night.”

Carmilla opened her eyes and looked at Laura for a moment. “You are having a food craving, aren’t you?”

Laura made another guilty face and she just looked back at Carmilla.

“What it is?” Carmilla said like it was fine for Laura to ask her something.

“I don’t want to do this to you again.” 

“If you can’t sleep because of it, I can’t either, so… tell me what it is and I will get it for you.”

“It’s tacos...” Laura said still ashamed by her cravings.

“Not a hard thing to get. We live in Southern California, there are tacos everywhere.”

“With melted chocolate on the top.” Laura said raising her eyebrows and giving Carmilla an apologetic grin.

“Oh.” She raised her head and ran her fingers in her messy hair. “I’ll find it somewhere, don’t worry.”

She left the bed dizzily and took her jeans and t-shirt from the floor.

“Sorry.” Laura said, her voice high-pitched and her face apprehensive.

“Don’t be, Cupcake.” Carmilla said turning around the bed and placing a tender kiss on Laura’s forehead. “I’ll be right back.”

 

Carmilla took her wallet and the car keys and walked sleepy to the car. She knew a 24/7 taco place in town, luckily, but she was not sure if the chocolate part would be the way Laura wanted. She never specified what kind of chocolate she wanted.

 

With a paper bag filled with tacos she headed to a 7-11 and bough some chocolate bars. She returned to the car again, noticing the baby seat on the back. She looked at her hand again, at the sparkling ring on her finger and she could not really describe what she felt in that moment. She wiped the tear rolling down her face and buckled her belt seat again. She was wearing a smile that never faded the whole way to her apartment. And when she drove by the drugstore she used to work, her smile widened even more.

 

When she opened the door of her apartment, Laura was pacing around the space between the living room and the kitchen with her brows pressed together, her hands resting on her back.

“Is something wrong?” Carmilla asked dropping the bags on the island.

“I was just…” Laura looked at her furrowing her brows a bit. “Having some contractions.”

Carmilla became pale, freezing for a second.

“We need to go to the hospital, and the bags…” She gave some steps towards the bedroom and Laura entered in her way. “Where is the bag?”

“Carm, relax.” Laura said placing a hand a on her chest to stop her. “I called my doctor, he said it is normal, nothing for us to worry about.”

“But-“

“It’s not the time for the baby to born yet, okay?” She said looking in Carmilla’s eyes and waiting for her to acknowledge her message. 

“Okay.” Carmilla said after a moment nodding.

“Good.” Laura kissed her cheek. “I’m feeling better now, it was just a momentary thing, I’m fine.”

Carmilla nodded again and she finally returned her attention to the food. She melted the chocolate in the microwave and prepared Laura’s taco the way she wanted. She tasted a bit of her creation and it was not that bad, she thought. Laura stuffed her face with the tacos, thanking Carmilla at every bite. She walked around the apartment for a few minutes after she ate the food, because she was afraid of having some sort of indigestion.

 

Then she sat on the couch to watch some TV, with Carmilla by her side, already sleeping even before had chosen something for them to see. Laura kissed her forehead.

“Carm, you better go to bed, I’m fine here.”

“I’m fine here too, Cupcake.” She said with a sleepy voice, straightening her back on the couch.

“You’re gonna wake up with a terrible pain in your back, I’m serious.” Laura insisted.

“You’re not gonna be here tomorrow.” She whined curling into herself on the couch again.

Laura patted her shoulder, wrapping an arm around Carmilla and kissing her forehead again. She didn’t say anything else.

 

**+++**

 

The day before the big day was odd. Carmilla and Kirsch were getting the last things that were left in the apartment. Laura was in the office dealing with her client’s needs. Lafontaine was taking care of the last details of the wedding. Perry was in a rush to make the Halloween wedding perfect. Mr. Hollis was fixing some things that weren’t working in Carmilla’s and Laura’s new house. Mattie was working on some cases from her hotel room. It was a very busy Friday for everybody.

 

Carmilla and Laura barely talked all day. They exchanged a few texts and that was that. Carmilla finished the last details of the baby’s room before Laura would get home. She was fulfilling Laura’s wish to not see each other before the ceremony and she left the place a few minutes before Laura arrived. Mr. Hollis kept Laura company while she ate dinner. Before she went to her king size bed for the first time, Laura entered the nursery for a bit. She opened the drawers and the closet and found the last things she bought on the internet nicely arranged by Carmilla.

 

But only when she was walking to the bedroom, she started to feel a heavy weigh on her chest. The loneliness hit her like an anvil. The bedroom, like the rest of the house, seemed to be taken straight out of a design magazine, with red and gray details, very modern and cozy at the same time. But something was missing. Well, someone was missing. She noticed the sheets were freshly changed. She sat down a bit brushing her hand on the soft gray duvet that was covering the entire bed. It smelled like their sheets in the apartment. Carmilla probably used the same fabric softener. She put out her shoes, noticing something over the nightstand. It was a square piece of paper folded in half. She took the note and opened it.

**_Sweet dreams, Cupcake._ **  
**_Your future wife,_ **  
**_Carmilla_ **

 

That perfect handwriting always would make her smile. And she did, for a second, because right after the tears were covering her face with pain. She was there all alone, in their dreamy house, one day before their wedding. And it felt so wrong.

 

She knew that if she called Carmilla, she would be there in a matter of minutes, but she had made such a big deal about that stupid tradition that she was too embarrassed to call Carmilla. She decided to take a warm shower to try and soothe her worries.

 

Entering the renovated white and red bathroom only made her feel even worse. She remembered the day Carmilla walked with her to see it totally finished. Carmilla’s eyes were shining with excitement at every little detail. She wiped the tears again and entered the shower. For a moment she thought how silly she was acting, because it was not like Carmilla was dead or something horrible like that. Carmilla was just a couple of miles away from her, and they would see each other in less than 24 hours. It’s was not a big deal.

 

After the shower, she was feeling much better. She dressed in her PJs and went under the covers of that big and empty bed. She got her phone and texted Carmilla.

 

 **Laura (9:17p.m.)** Sweet dreams, Carm. Thanks for the note  <3

 **Carm (9:17p.m.)** that was nothing, really

 **Carm (9:17p.m.)** how are you feeling?

 **Laura (9:18p.m.)** I’m good. I’m missing you, but I’ll survive

 **Carm (9:18p.m.)** Missing you too. A lot.

 

Laura let out a nervous breath.

 

 **Carm (9:18p.m.)** How is our little guy? Giving you too much trouble so far?

 **Laura (9:18p.m.)** He is moving a little, but nothing to keep me awake, I guess

 **Carm (9:19p.m.)** I miss him too

 

Laura blew another long breath. “You’re not making this any easier on me, Carmilla.”

 

 **Laura (9:19p.m.)** I’m sure he misses you too

 **Carm (9:19p.m.)** Talk to him for me

 **Laura (9:19p.m.)** I will

 **Laura (9:19p.m.)** I can’t wait to be marrying you

 **Carm (9:20p.m.)** Same here, cupcake

 

Laura let out another tear. “Get it together, Hollis.”

 

 **Laura (9:20p.m.)** Are you in bed? Cause I’m about to sleep

 **Carm (9:20p.m.)** Not yet. I’m looking at every corner of the apartment to make sure we didn’t forget anything

 **Carm (9:20p.m.)** Also it’s too soon

 **Laura (9:20p.m.)** It’s a good idea

 **Laura (9:20p.m.)** Yeah it’s kind of early, but I’m so tired

 **Carm (9:20p.m.)** Luckily you’re gonna have 2 days off after the wedding

 **Laura (9:21p.m.)** Yeah, it will be like our little honeymoon, but in our new house though

 **Carm (9:21p.m.)** Honeymoon… hmm, think we can do it in every room by Monday night?

 

Laura chuckled.

 

 **Laura (9:21p.m.)** :p

 **Carm (9:21p.m.)** What’s that tongue is supposed to mean?

 **Laura (9:21p.m.)** Whatever you want ;)

 

Laura chuckled again at the turn their conversation took.

 

 **Carm (9:21p.m.)** It’s kind of an evil thing to do with your future wife when she’s far away from you

 **Laura (9:22p.m.)** It’s not that far

 **Carm (9:22p.m.)** Can’t see you, can’t touch you, it’s super far

 **Laura (9:22p.m.)** I’m going to sleep, we have a very long day ahead of us

 **Carm (9:22p.m.)** Now you want to sleep, what a way to kill a mood

 **Laura (9:22p.m.)** What mood? You’re supposed to be sleeping too

 **Carm (9:22p.m.)** Alright, I’m going to bed too

 **Carm (9:22p.m.)** Goodnight Cupcake

 **Laura (9:23p.m.)** Goodnight Future Wife ;)

 

Laura took another long breath and attached her phone to the recharger. She turned off the lamp and made her way on her sea of pillows that Carmilla brought too. There was not a single thing in that place that didn’t remind her of Carmilla.

 

Laura was tired. The bed was so comfy and soft. Like the entire house; big and empty. Every single stupid sound that came from the street startled her. Her bladder was getting full again and Riley decided to dance around her womb. She went to the bathroom and looked at her phone on her way back. It was only 10. She snuggled into her nest of pillows.

 

She thought about the last time she slept without Carmilla wrapped around her. It was probably many months ago, when they were only sex buddies. Adding that with the fact that she was in a new and strange place, with her son using her bladder like a soccer ball, yeah she was feeling very bad. She threw her brave face out the window and grabbed her phone, speed dialing Carmilla. She answered after the first ring.

 

“Is everything okay?” She said, sounding worried.

“No.” Laura sniffed. “I miss you.”

“I’m coming.” Carmilla simply said.

“Okay.” Laura said pressing the phone against her ear. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be… I’ll be there very soon.”

 

Laura was twitching in the bed until she heard the sound of the steps coming from the ground floor. She turned the lamp on and sat up looking to the door eagerly. It seemed like she hadn’t seen Carmilla’s face for years, not just for a single day. Her smile was enough to make Laura to shed tears again. Suddenly the room didn’t feel empty or too big anymore. Carmilla rushed to her, giving her a tight hug. Laura was felt that she was in her home again.

 

She pulled Carmilla’s face to her and started to kiss her desperately. Carmilla was smiling too much to kiss Laura back properly. Laura backed away a little and looked at her face again.

“Hey”. Carmilla said brushing Laura’s hair away.

“Hey.” Laura answered matching Carmilla’s smile.

She kissed Carmilla’s eyes, then her cheeks, her jaw and every inch of her face, returning to her mouth, biting her lower lip and pulling it, while her hands were wandering under Carmilla’s flannel, pulling it down on the floor. She deepen the kiss tugging Carmilla’s hem tank top and pulling it up, breaking the kiss and taking the top off completely with Carmilla’s help.

“You’re not going to wait to the honeymoon for this part, Creampuff?” Carmilla asked with a very teasing voice.

“Screw those stupid traditions.” Laura said pulling Carmilla in for another kiss, followed by a trail of pecks on her neck and some wet open-mouth kisses down her chest and stomach. Carmilla laughed as some of the kisses tickled her belly and Laura looked up to her smiling again. _To the hell with those traditions._

 

**+++**

 

“It’s your wedding day, sweetie, time to wake up!” Said Perry animatedly opening up the curtains of the master bedroom, lighting up the entire place. “It’s such a beautiful day out there! A perfect day for a wedding! ” She sighed. “Lafontaine is on their way to prepare Carmilla and-“ She turned and looked at the bed, noticing a sleepy, half naked Carmilla with a frown and severely messy hair looking at her.

“Oh Lord!” She blushed instantly, dropping her gaze to the floor. “Were you not supposed to be sleeping in separate places today?”

“Change of plans.” Carmilla mumbled pulling up the sheets that were only covering half of her body. Laura was still asleep by her side, curled up in her fortress of pillows.

“Well…” Perry looked up to them briefly. “Wake up Laura, please, I’ll give you some time, but don’t take too long to go the apartment, we have a tight schedule.” She took her phone from her pocket, making her way out of the room, noticing the clothes scattered around the place. “I have to text Lafontaine, they have your breakfast, and they will take care of everything else.”

“Okay.” Carmilla said waiting for Perry to leave.

When the door was finally shut, Carmilla shook Laura gently.

“Hey Cupcake, time to wake up.”

“I’m up.” Laura said with a sleepy voice, but not moving at all.

Carmilla chuckled, spooning Laura and brushing her belly, then placing some kisses on her cheeks. “We are getting married today, Cupcake. I know this is an ungodly hour to wake up and that you barely slept last night, and that you are very, very tired, but we need to do this, okay?”

Laura groaned, opening her eyes slightest. “It’s really already morning?” She whined.

“Yes, it is.” Carmilla kissed her cheek again. “Good morning.”

She turned and faced Carmilla, opening her eyes a little more. “It’s so early and you are not brooding?”

“It’s our wedding day, my love.” She said spreading her smile making Laura to smile too.

She pulled Carmilla to her, kissing her lips tenderly. Her hands were making their way to Carmilla’s body.

Carmilla broke the kiss. “As much as I would love to do this again with you, we need to leave this bed.”

“We can wait until Perry comes.” Laura said kissing Carmilla’s neck.

“Perry is already here.” Carmilla said resisting her own urge to touch Laura. “She opened up the curtains and found me naked in bed.”

“Seriously?!” Laura chuckled. “Okay, I’m going to get up… I need to pee anyway.” She untangled herself from Carmilla and stretched, letting out a yawn.

 

Carmilla followed Laura to the bathroom and brushed her teeth, while Laura was peeing. She returned to bedroom to search for her clothes and get dressed. She looked at herself in their big mirror by the bathroom’s door and tried to fix her hair with her fingers, deciding to tie everything up into a bun. Laura came from the bathroom wearing nothing and Carmilla giggled wrapping her arms around her.

“No morning breath now.” Laura said kissing Carmilla, lacing her arms on her neck. 

Carmilla could not stop smiling. She rested her forehead in Laura’s and took a deep breathe. “This is it, right? This is the last moment we are seeing each other before we become brides.”

“Yeah.” Laura sighed too. “See you at our happy place.”

Carmilla looked up. “See you.” She gave Laura a last peck. “I love you, Cupcake.”

“I love you, Carm.”

 

**+++**

 

“I heard you were flashing your boobs at Perry.” Lafontaine said when Carmilla entered the apartment.

Carmilla rolled her eyes siting in a stool at the island. “Not my fault if your girlfriend was barging in our bedroom unannounced.”

“What were you doing there the night before your wedding?”

“We were naked in the bed, what do you think? Voting?”

They made a disgusted face “Things can get belated and it will be my fault.”

“Laura called me crying in the middle of the night, what I was supposed to do? Tell her to keep following her stupid traditions?”

“Well, no but…” They sat by Carmilla’s side. “Can’t you spend one night without sex at least?”

“So your girlfriend won’t find us naked in bed? Oh yeah, that’s a good reason.”

“That’s not what meant.” They scratched the back of their head letting out a frustrated sigh. “How can you do this? Maybe you haven’t notice, but sometimes you looked at each other like two horny teenagers.”

Carmilla crossed her arms, leaning her back on the island. “I don’t think you want to hear the answer to that.”

“No, I’m serious, Carmilla. How can you do that? How can you have this great sex life? I don’t get it. Maybe if I’ve slept with more people…”

“It’s not that.” Carmilla shook her head. “Do you think it was always like that?”

“No?”

“Oh no. You can never tell that to Laura or Perry... But, the first few times we had sex were just terrible.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter how many people you have slept with, every person is different.”

“So, how did it become better?”

“We talked about our fantasies, we try new things and we have small surprises. There is no secret really, just be willing to listen to her and open your mind, make her feel comfortable about it.”

“So basically just talk?”

Carmilla raised her shoulders a bit. “I think… yes, that’s it. Don’t be afraid to look ridiculous and respect her boundaries.”

“You should write a book about that. Maybe I’ll read it.”

“With just two lines of advices? What a great idea.” She chucked and shoved their shoulder. “Where’s my breakfast? I have to get married today.”

 

**+++**

 

It was weird to feel nervous, she thought. Why were her palms sweating? And why wouldn’t her legs stop fidgeting? It was just a small ceremony, with people she knew very well. And in the center of all of this it was Laura, and just Laura mattered in that moment. So why was she nervous? And then she realizes that she was nervous because of Laura. But it was just Laura, right? The woman she saw that morning, naked in her bed, warm and soft under her arms. The only woman that could drive her crazy and get away with that. The woman she loved more than anything in this world.

 

The car finally reached the intend destination, the Anglerfish Lake. It was a special place for her and she thought it was a perfect place to celebrate their wedding. Laura agreed.

 

She stepped out of Laura’s car and with everything in place. Lafontaine did her hair and makeup (her hair was braided the way Laura loved and her makeup was soft and light), with the help of Kirsch. She didn’t believe she would live to see that day happening, but she did. And even though they were there for her, she didn’t miss the opportunity to make fun of them. It helped to relieve the stress and the tension she was feeling since the moment she left Laura in their home. And her friends knew that. Of course they did.

 

She was still tapping her foot on the fluffy grass when her eyes were scanning for her tiny Cupcake. She didn’t know what to expect, or how that would work. Maybe Laura would come with her father in hand? Or they would just walk to some specific place and the officiator would just marry them. It didn’t occur to her to ask. It was Laura’s thing, and she ended up letting her take the lead in everything.

“How are you feeling?” Lafontaine said standing by Carmilla’s side.

“Nervous.” She said looking down at her dress again. It was white, with empire waistline and an asymmetrical strap on one shoulder. Not too long or too short. Her ballerina slippers felt stranger in her feet, but it was clean so far.

“Good. You should be” They nodded nudging her. “I’m still not used to see you all in white like that.”

“Isn’t it a lovely way to express my purity?” She forced the joke to easy her nerves. Maybe it would work.

“Sure, you’re very pure.” They said with a mischievous grin. “Laura is almost here, let’s see how things are going so far.”

 

They walked a few steps and Carmilla saw a flower gate covered with white roses and yellow wild flowers. A certain small blond woman was hunched in its’ base, giving it finishing touches. Hearing the steps on the grass, the woman turned and looked up to Carmilla, opening a wide smile.

“You are extra pretty today, Tulip girl.” Donna stood up measuring Carmilla whole body.

Carmilla chuckled. “Thanks.” She looked at the gate again. “Is this a present too? It’s really beautiful.”

“Yeah. It’s just a small touch in your simplicity theme. I hope Laura will like it too, because it was a last minute thing.”

“Are you going to stay for the ceremony, right? Laura is about to come.”

“Thanks for the invitation, but I can’t. I have a lot of work in the shop, Saturday is our busiest day.” She stretched her back looking at her piece again. “I’m happy for you two. Don’t forget to send me pictures.”

They talked a little more and Donna left giving Carmilla a hug. It was strange, they had somehow turned into amicable pals after having met just a few times.

 

While Lafontaine and Kirsch was dealing with the food that was coming, Mr. Hollis arrived with a tight hug to offer. 

 

“You look so pretty, kid.” He said stepping away and taking a better look at Carmilla. She would never get used to people looking at her that way and giving her so many compliments. “Can’t believe my girls are getting married today”.

“Me neither.” Carmilla said sheepishly. “I mean, it doesn’t feel real yet. It’s like I’m in a dream or something.”

“I get the feeling, kid.” He sighed. “I felt the same way when I married Elizabeth. It feels like a lifetime away now.”

“I wish I could have met her.”

“I’m sure she would love you too.” He gave her a half smile. “Well, let’s focus on the good things, right? This is a happy day after all, let’s not forget that.”

“Right.” Carmilla nodded looking worried at her phone. Laura was late, and so was Mattie.

 

Lafontaine came with their phone in hands. “She is coming in 5 minutes.” They said to Carmilla, guessing the source of her frown.

Carmilla huffed. “And Mattie isn’t even texting, what the hell?”

“You know what? Give me your phone.” They said extending their hand to Carmilla. “You are not supposed to get married holding your phone, or getting stressed over people texting you.”

“The problem is the lack of text.” She looked up noticing a car driving over. “I think it’s her.”

They all turned their heads to see Mattie coming with an elegant red dress, wearing a very apologetic smile. “I’m really sorry, sis, but a client-” She held herself. “It doesn’t matter, I’m here now and on time. Let’s focus on that.”

“Yes you are on time.” Lafontaine said taking Carmilla’s phone and shoving it in their pocket.

Carmilla frowned at them, but she relaxed a bit when Mattie gave her a hug. So many different people have never hugged her in her life, it was difficult to get used to.

Mattie excused herself for a minute and Mr. Hollis was helping Kirsch to set the picnic things over a big bench behind them. Those 5 minutes were taking forever.

“I also have another good news.” Lafontaine said pointing to a guy walking in their direction. “JP is here.”

“Who is this?” Carmilla asked crossing her arms at the sight of a skinny guy with black pants and white shirt, carrying a large camera around his neck. He was young, but walked a little stiff, like someone who living in the 1920s.

“He is a friend of mine who used to work at the lab company library. I’m training him to take my place as a wedding planning assistant.”

“Are you leaving your job so soon? Laura hasn’t even given birth yet.”

“Not so soon.” They explained raising their hands. “I was cleared in the company investigation. Natalie is doing fine, so I can get back to my research next year.”

Carmilla noticed how her friend’s eyes were shining with excitement talking about their beloved job again.

“I’m happy for you, Ginger ale.” Carmilla said ruffling their hair.

“Hey, I need to look good too.” They said trying to fix their short hair with their hands. “I’m a guest this time, and JP is taking some professional pictures, so keep your hands away from my hair, okay?”

 

Carmilla rolled her eyes and JP finally reached them. Lafontaine made the usual introduction and Carmilla felt some empathy for the guy.

 

“One minute.” They said to Carmilla, after another call from Perry.

Carmilla was feeling nervous all over again. She saw the officiator walking to the flower gate and Mattie returning with Mr. Hollis by her side. It didn’t take long for the familiar truck appeared behind the trees. She could feel her heart beating on her ears, almost muffling the rest of the noises around her. But even though she was listening what was happening around her, the only thing she noticed was the golden hair shining through the car window.

 

There was nothing else in those long seconds. No family, no friends, no officiator, no JP taking pictures of the whole thing.

 

When Kirsch opened the passenger’s side door, the only thing she saw was Laura, with her perfect, contagious smile. The stress and tension suddenly left her body and she felt only her heart still beating happily. When she noticed the way Laura looked at her, she finally felt she was beautiful indeed. Because the smile Laura gave her was like nothing she had ever seen before.

 

She was wearing a simple white dress with large straps, but sleeveless. The way it fell on her body was just perfect. She was also wearing a crown of pink and yellow flowers on the top of her head, her hair lying on her shoulders in large curls. She was carrying two bouquets of white roses. And the first thing she did when she approached Carmilla was to offer her one of the bouquets.

 

Their hands touched under the flowers and Carmilla felt Laura’s hand cold and trembling. She was nervous too. Of course she would be.

“Oh my god Carmilla, you look just…” Laura let her mouth hanging open, while her eyes were looking Carmilla up and down repeatedly. “Stunning.” She said at last.

“And you look more beautiful than ever, Cupcake.” Carmilla said taking her hand and giving it a light squeeze. She wanted to kiss Laura so badly.

Laura giggled getting even closer to Carmilla. Carmilla felt her hand getting warmer and Laura, like herself, relaxing with their touch. And they just stood there looking at each other in awe, until Perry approached humming lightly.

“Shaw we?” She said gesturing to the portal where the officiator was waiting for them.

They broke from their trance and Carmilla offered her arm to Laura. They walked together side by side, and surrounded by their loved ones, they took the first step to their forever.

 

**+++**

 

“I’m nervous, clearly.” She looked at her feet and then Laura took her both hands and she felt relaxed again. She tuned out everyone else and concentrated in Laura. “I started to write my vows weeks ago, but it never felt like they were the right words. Because every time I thought I knew everything I needed to define the love that I feel for you, something else happened and changed it. And it keeps happening day after day. Like the day we were fighting because I got the wrong way going home in our road trip. You were like a tiny ball of rage.” People laughed. “Turning your hands into little fists and furrowing your brows in the most adorable way.” She chucked and Laura shook her head, covering her eyes for a moment with her free hand. “Of course I got mad too, but it was not for too long. And it’s not because I don’t take you seriously, but because I can’t really be mad at you. Ever.” She smiled biting her lower lip. “And we made up and everything was fine again. Maybe even better than it had been before. Every time something like that happens, I learn something new about you and I love you even more, finding new layers that I even didn’t know existed.” She sighed, looking at their joined hands for a second before looking up to Laura again. “I love you so much. And I love the person I am because of you. You bring out the best of me, something I never thought it was possible.” She squeezed Laura’s hands, while her bride was shedding some tears. “I promise to love you for as long as life allows me to, which I’m sure is forever.”

 

Laura wiped her face taking a piece of folded paper from her bouquet in Perry’s hand.

 

“I’m going to read what I wrote, because unlike you I’m not very good improvising.” She unfolded and smoothed the paper. “Carmilla, for too long I tried to deny my feelings for you. I could not believe that someone like you would love me. You know why… but even when you drive me crazy, because, yes I’m not the only one…” She looked up to Carmilla while some people were laughing. “You never did anything that made me doubt your love for me. We met under an unconventional situation, we all know the story. And I felt so lost and so torn, I could not believe I would ever be happy again. But destiny put you in my way and everything started to feel right again.” She looked up to Carmilla, noticing the blush rising on her cheeks. “I admire the person you are, so loving and compassionate, even when you try so hard to look tough… you are always showing your love for me, and it’s so good to feel that, and to see this side of you that I know that I’m only one who can see.” She looked at Carmilla again. “It’s impossible not to love you. And I don’t want that to ever end. I promise to always do everything in my power to be person that will love you for the eternity.”

Laura was shedding tears, as she knew she would, and Carmilla’s eyes were watering too. They said the “I do’s”, signed the papers and exchanged the rings. The long waited kiss was sweet and kind. Carmilla was holding Laura’s jaw and Laura was brushing against her nape. It felt like they hadn’t kissed in forever. As the applause burst, they smiled to each other again, breaking the kiss in the most delightful way.

 

Everybody wanted to hug them at once, but Mr. Hollis was the first to approach and hold both of them at the same time. Perry hugged Laura for so long that Carmilla had time to hug the rest of all of their friends and her sister at the same time. Carmilla was still smiling in total contentment, looking at Laura hugging everybody else, when she noticed a dark figure standing a few yards away from them.

 

It’s been years since the last time she saw her, but she looked the same. Lilita Morgan was looking right back at her, with an unreadable expression. She didn’t even notice Laura approaching her again, giving her another tight hug and a peck. When Carmilla looked to that place again, Lilita was not there anymore. So she just hugged Laura again and whisperer “I love you, Cupcake.” In her ear.

 

**+++**

 

After all the emotion, they were in the right mood for the picnic food that Jane brought for them early. Perry was taking the lead and setting the food around the table, while JP was still taking pictures of the gathering. They ate the cake and Carmilla was feeding Laura with Emily’s famous cookies.

 

Later they took more pictures in front of the lake and Laura even risked a ride on the duck paddleboat. Perry and Lafontaine decided to take a ride too, while Kirsch assumed the task to take care of the remained food and the flower portal. Mr. Hollis and Mattie walked around the lake talking.

 

“How my wife is feeling?” Carmilla said with a sassy grin, pedaling in the direction of the middle of the lake. Laura was just reclined enjoying the view.

“Very happy, Mrs. Carmilla Von Karnstein-Hollis.” Laura said taking her hand. “I was finally getting used to the fiancé title and now it’s changed again. Everything happened so fast.”

“I’m already used to it… wife.” Carmilla kissed her hand.

“We weren’t even friends yet when we were here for the first time.” She patted her belly. “Our tiny human was smaller than the head of a pin and I was so thin.”

“You still look perfect.” Carmilla pulled her in for a kiss. 

Laura sighed. “You know, when you brought me here that day, for a brief second I was afraid you were some sort of serial killer trying to lure me to kill me into the woods.”

Carmilla laughed. “Oh thanks, Cupcake, didn’t know you thought so low of me.”

“It was just for a second!” She shoved Carmilla’s shoulder. “I barely knew you and you were driving me to a very distant place to just talk. You have to admit it was a little strange.”

“Yeah, okay I’ll give you that. It was kind of creep.” She squeezed Laura’s hand looking at her hand with the new ring, while the engagement one was still around her neck. “But you hadn’t admitted yet that day when I was trying the wedding dress, you were looking at me on purpose.”

“I told you it was not on purpose. I looked at you because I thought you were pretty and I liked you, not because I wanted to see you naked, well I kind of did, because you’re also hot, but not like that, what I mean is that I didn’t want to objectify you, but I kind of did, and-“

Carmilla pulled her for a kiss. “You liked me.” She said brushing Laura’s hair. “Didn’t know that.”

Laura smiled sheepishly. “It was hard to understand my feelings with my hormones in the mix back then but…” She sighed. “Now I know. I did like you then.”

Carmilla squeezed her hand again looking at Perry and Lafontaine laughing and pedaling not too far away from them, crossing to the other side of the lake. The sun was still up, but the day was not too hot.

“At least your mother didn’t show up. I don’t know if it is a good thing or not.” Laura shrugged.

“She did.” Carmilla looked at Laura again. “I saw her standing next to some trees and her car a few yards away from us when we were hugging people after the ceremony.”

“Really? Well, why you didn’t say anything?”

“It was too fast, she just disappeared in the next minute.”

“I’m sorry for inviting her.”

Carmilla pulled Laura to her chest. “You don’t have to apologize, it’s okay. It didn’t feel as bad as thought I would.”

“Oh. So… that’s a good thing. Right?” Laura looked up to her for a second. “It means that she cared enough to come.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Carmilla started to brush Laura’s hair. “At least she didn’t ruin anything.”

“So you’re happy.” Laura concluded.

“Of course I’m happy. You’re here.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This monstrous chapter were revised by Robin, who is also my hero for doing this lovely work in a very short period of time. I added some things after, so if you see something stranger, it was me.
> 
> Robin's Tumblr: http://fallenforathunderclap.tumblr.com/  
> My Tumbltr: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter was named after a Kiss song.
> 
> Next chapter will be shorter, because I can’t do another one like this anymore. And will be kind of different. Wait and see.


	31. Laura Karnstein-Hollis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon part 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Monday was a crappy day for me, and I'm feeling a lot better just working on correting this chapter to be up today. Hope you enjoy this new perspective on things.

**Chapter 31 – Laura Karnstein-Hollis**

 

For many minutes or maybe hours, I forget the desperation and loneliness in that big room. Carmilla was making me feel amazing and I could never get enough of that. I will never get enough of her. I sleep more in this day than in any other day of the week. I finally notice how Riley is calm with Carmilla around me. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe not, but after I had finally rest my body again, I fell in a deep sleep, only to be awake by the soothing voice of Carmilla in my ear. It’s the best way to wake up, I already knew that.

I would do it all over again, with Carmilla so warm and soft pressed against me, if it was not by something more important than my freaking hormones: our wedding. When I leave the bathroom and hug Carmilla, walking naked and barefoot on our new bedroom, I feel some domestic bliss I haven’t felt in weeks with this craziness of my life. But when Carmilla leaves, I feel cold again. I sigh looking down at a plaid red flannel shirt that Carmilla forgot on the floor. I smell the shirt and feel her presence again for another short moment. I dress it with my panties, also forgotten in another corner of our room.

Going down the stairs, I feel the familiar smell of Perry’s pancakes. I love Perry’s pancakes, but Carmilla’s are much better. I could never admit that to my friend, though, but it’s true. Everything Carmilla does is amazing. 

“Finally sweetie, good morning!” Perry says with a cheerful smile and her inseparable spatula.

“Good morning Perry, and sorry for the naked fiancé on bed.” I say yawning and making myself comfortable on the stool of the kitchen island. I still can’t believe this is actually my kitchen.

Perry blushes a little, like I knew she would. “I had no idea that you were… I mean, I thought it would just be you alone in the bedroom.”

“It was, until I got too sad and alone in that big room all by myself.” I sigh. It’s not hard to admit that to Perry, like me, she is a lost romantic cause. “It was just for a day, but I missed Carmilla so much, that I called her and she came in a matter of minutes.”

Perry makes that concern face that I know so well. “Are you not worry about breaking the tradition? You know what I mean.” Perry knocks on the island 3 times. “I’m not jinxing anything, but maybe it’s not good to mess with those things.”

“I don’t think this is wood.” I giggle. “I was worried too, but I don’t care anymore. Be here without Carmilla felt so wrong. She didn’t want to be there all by herself too. The whole thing was just breaking my heart.”

Perry stacks the pancakes on a plate for me. “You two are really something.” She turns and serves me in her motherly manner. “I think I’ve never seen you so in love like you are with Carmilla. And it’s not only because it’s a new thing.”

“You’re right about that.” I look amused to my plate. “Thank you so much Perry, this is really going to be a long day.”

 

**+++**

 

I can’t barely believe in the image on the large mirror. The dress is so simple, but also so perfect.

“You look gorgeous, Laura” Perry says with her hands pressed against each other on her front, eyes sparkling with admiration.

“I can’t believe I’m really going to get married, Perry” I say feeling my throat tight, my eyes are already watering. Again.

“Oh sweetie, don’t cry, your makeup…” Perry rushes to fix my makeup.

“And to the most amazing woman that I’ve ever met.”

 

The bell ring echoes in the house. Perry looks surprise to me.

“It’s my dad!” I yell running down the stars.

“Slow down! I’ll get it to you” Perry yells following me.

I open door eagerly to find my old man with an official suit. “Dad! You didn’t have to dress so formally! I told you it would be a simple thing.”

He looks at me with a big smile. “Hello to you too, kiddo.” He hugs me. “It’s my princess wedding, nothing is too formal.”

He steps back, taking a better look at me. “You look so beautiful, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, dad.” I step out of the way. “Come in.”

He comes in, looking at the walls with his hands propped on his hips. “So, are sure you don’t want me to lead you to the altar, or something like that?”

“No, dad. I understand your concern, but I’ve told you many times this is not necessary, you’re not handing me like a property, and-“

“I know, I know.” He raises both hands to me. “But we can do this with another meaning. It’s just me, your dad, being a part of your wedding.”

“I understand the connotation dad, but it would be strange, especially because there would be no one to walk with Carmilla. I think it’s better this way, and we don’t even have an altar or anything like that, really.”

“There will be a flower portal” Perry says coming from the kitchen with a tray full of cookies. “Cookies, Mr. Hollis?”

“Thanks, kid” He says taking a cookie.

“Wait, what?” I hold Perry by her arm.

“It was Donna’s idea, part of her present for you.”

“But she didn’t say anything when she brought the bouquets early.”

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise, but I know you so I’m telling you now. Here.” She gets her phone and shows it to me. “Laf took a picture, it’s really tasteful.”

“Well… yes, it’s nice, I liked it.”

“So, I think I’m heading there.” My dad says taking one last cookie. “Come here, kiddo, give me another hug.”

“See you soon, dad.” I hug him back. It’s good to have my dad around again.

 

Unfortunately, I can’t enjoy this too much, because my bladder is pushing me to the bathroom. Again.

“Carmilla is on her way, Laura” Perry says by the other side of the bathroom door. “Everything is on the schedule.”

“Good.” I take a deep breathe. Yes, this will be a long day.

 

**+++**

 

I think I never saw Carmilla so beautiful in my whole life. She looks so nervous, I can’t quite believe. She is usually very confident, but today I can actually see some vulnerability in her. It’s like her life only depends of one word from me. I’m are sure of that when I say it to her. When I say “I do”, Carmilla looks whole again and I have no doubt anymore. I have her heart in my hands. The same way she has mine in hers.

 

**+++**

 

People found a little odd that we didn’t want to go to a hotel or somewhere fancy for our so called honeymoon. I’m not in the mood to go to a hotel again anytime soon, after what happened last time. It’s just 2 days, and we both having been out a lot in the last weeks, and on the top of that, I am too tired and too pregnant to any kind of adventure, so the new house just looks the perfect place to spend these two days just enjoying each other. Because, after this, I have no idea when I can have another opportunity like that.

I hope that people will take a hint and won’t be bothering us in these days. Carmilla just threated to take out the spleen of her friends if one of them would even set foot on our doorway, or would call or text her or me.

When I leave the paddleboat, I find yet another surprise. My car (that Lafontaine and Carmilla used to get here) is written “Just Married” in the back with some kind of white paint. And after another round of hugs and goodbyes, Carmilla is driving us home, finally.

We arrive in the house exhaust. It is really more of a mental than a physical tiredness, I can tell. I’m getting a bit annoyed at the stairs, but Carmilla helps me, pulling my arm to rest on her shoulders. 

When we get to our room, the first thing I do is to get rid of my shoes. My feet are killing me since noon and my ankles basically disappeared. After I complain about my ankles for the fifty time, Carmilla just chuckles and kisses my shoulder. The simple touch of her lips is enough to light a spark in me.

“I know we just got married and this is kind of our honeymoon, but all I want is to lay down and sleep” I shoot the words like a lame excuse, that gets even lamer the more I try to sound casual.

“You know I’m all about breaking traditions” Carmilla says kissing my forehead and brushing my hair.

“But we were supposed to have sex. And I want to, but I just can’t…”

Carmilla chuckles. “We are supposed to do whatever we want, Cupcake. I’m tired too, let’s get rid of theses dresses and hit the bed.” 

“You’re not mad that we are not consuming our wedding right away?”

“We can do this tomorrow, it doesn’t matter really. It won’t change anything, we are still married.”

“Yes we are.” I looked up to her, wrapping an arm around her waist “Can’t believe yet.”

“We have a lot of time to get used to that, Mrs. Laura Karnstein-Hollis.” Carmilla kisses the tip of my nose and I chuckle. I love our new name. “Come on, let me help you.” 

She stands up bringing me with her. “We are not having sex right now, but we can enjoy this part at least.”

I giggle turning my back to her. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Carmilla unzip my dress, pulling down the straps. She places some kisses on my back before taking off the dress completely. I step out of the fabric on the floor turning to Carmilla. After I zip down her dress, I take a moment to admire Carmilla’s naked back. I place my right palm on Carmilla’s pale skin, slowly brushing her back. I see the goose bumps forming around my hand and I let out a chuckle. I also place a few kisses on her back and after I pull down the clothing, I hug her tightly. I can feel her heartbeat frequency increasing against my hand.

“That’s what I wanted to do that day” I say with my face pressed against her back.

Carmilla hold my hands. “Now you can do all you want.”

I giggle, releasing Carmilla enough for her to turn and to hug me again. This feels amazing. Just to hug Carmilla. I hope Carmilla feels the same. How could she not? We both go under the covers only wearing our underwear, to that classical position on bed, plus the nest of pillows. To be wrapped on each other is all I want in this moment, and it feels just perfect.

 

**+++**

 

I don’t know why, but I wake up kind of early. I am awake, like really awake. According to our alarm clock it’s only seven in the morning. Carmilla is still wrapped around me. I can feel her breath steady on my neck. I don’t have much time to think about anything else, because my bladder is practically pushing me out of bed. I feel like I’m always in the bathroom these days. I love my tiny human with all my heart, but this pregnancy is really taking a toll on me. I take a nice shower because showers always makes me feel better.

When I leave the bathroom, Carmilla is still asleep. I really don’t know what to dress in a day like this, so I just grab a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I decide to head down stairs to prepare something to eat. My stomach is also complaining to me. Carmilla is sleeping like the dead, so I don’t mind leaving her alone on the bed.

In the fridge I found some pancake mix and bacon and I decide that that’s will be our breakfast. Lately Carmilla has done all the breakfast, so it’s good to return the favor when the opportunity shows up. It’s kind of a relaxing task after all of the stress of the last days. I manage to cook the pancakes and the bacon at the same time, without burn anything. Danny would never believe I could pull that off like I’m doing right now. It’s kind of an annoying thing when I think about Danny once in a while, but I hope that this will decrease with time. I really don’t want waste my time with that.

I find my Doctor Who bed tray in one of the cabinets. It’s brand new and I was dying to use this in a special occasion, so this is exactly one of those. I place everything on the tray, but something is missing. I go to the living room and I grab my bouquet, taking out a rose and putting it by Carmilla’s plate. I head upstairs and find the bed empty. I place the tray on the bed and approach the bathroom, listening to the sound of the shower running. I return to the bed and eat some strips of bacon.

After a few minutes, Carmilla is entering the room with her hair up in a bun and her body wrapped in a white towel. She smiles for me walking in the direction of the closet.

“Breakfast?” I say taking another piece of bacon.

“Just let me get dressed” Carmilla says pointing to the closet.

“You don’t have to” I say raising a brow.

Carmilla stops on her heels and smirks. I’m happy she understands what I mean. She sits by my side, also taking a bacon strip from the tray that is now over my lap. I give her the flower and she kisses me.

“Did you know that I never got flowers before?” Carmilla says smelling the rose and placing it on her nightstand.

No, I didn’t, and I can’t quite believe. “Glad I’m your first.” I giggle returning to my food, I don’t want to pity Carmilla or anything, but when she says things like that to me, I’m not really sure what to do.

“You’re my first on many things, Cupcake.” She ruffles my hair and I can’t help the smile plastering on my face.

“I can say the same.”

I don’t talk much after that. I really don’t know why, but these moments of silence we share sometimes, especially in the morning, feels so intimate. Carmilla drizzles some maple syrup on her pancakes and pulls the pieces with her hand, making a mess on the plate. In any other moment I would be pissed at her laziness, but right now I find it adorable. I grab some chunks too and she complains about me stealing her pancake. So I start to feed her too, kissing the corner of her lips stained by the syrup.

She turns and kisses me too and my mouth also become a mess of syrup. Carmilla takes more pancakes and the mess is now in her chest, with crumbs and syrup spilled. I don’t think twice when my mouth finds its way on Carmilla’s chest, cleaning the syrup from her. She lets out a muffled groan and I looked up to her with the dirtiest smile on my face. Carmilla seems to be overwhelmed by my expression, when I grab the tray and place it on the nightstand.

I turn to Carmilla again, licking my fingers and staring at her like I’m still hungry. I clearly have a new craving now. After I clean her chest properly, I pull up her towel, unwrapping her and I can see Carmilla’s pupils blowing before me. This makes me even more aroused. I touch her cleavage with my nose, taking a deep breath of her smooth skin. Carmilla giggles a little with the tickles I make unintentionally. I laugh too, reaching the tray taking the bottle of the syrup and returning to face Carmilla.

The look on her face is priceless. She knows what I’m about to do, but she can’t quite believe yet. And I do it. I spread the syrup with a continuous stream, starting with her nipples, going down to her stomach in a straight line, finishing when I reach her clit. I make sure to add some extra syrup there. I set the bottle back to the trail and Carmilla is already totally laid on her back, with her fingers buried in the sheets. I give her that mischievous look again before my mouth find its way on her right nipple.

Carmilla lets out a sharp moan while I suck her nipple hard. I could be gentler about it, but for some reason I am not. And the more I move my tongue and lips, the more Carmilla reacts to me, so I know I’m doing the right thing.

Her respiration starts to accelerate when I’m reaching her other nipple, and I can feel her heart beating right under me. It’s a hard position to keep without messing the rest of the syrup on her body, but luckily we have a huge bed and tons of pillows to keep us comfortable. 

My mouth is sweet and I can’t complain of this ridiculous combination. I never thought Carmilla could taste any better, but I was wrong. I start descending my way through her body, licking and kissing every inch of Carmilla with syrup. She giggles again when I am licking her stomach, especially her navel, but it’s only when I reach her folds that I’m truly amazed by her moans. Maple syrup never tasted so good.

I looked up to her saying that, because it’s something that shouldn’t be only on my mind, she needs to hear it. And when she does, I feel her hips convulsing under me, and I return my mouth to her, while my hands are firmly holding her hips. She calls my name and curse more than the usual and this makes wonderful for my self-esteem. I can feel she is closing to her peak and I add some fingers inside of her, making her trembles and rocks her hips against me involuntary. She comes with an intense moan, almost like a scream and I can only smile in content with my achievement.

I lay by her side, admiring her bliss. When she realizes I’m closer she pulls my face and kisses me hungrily, using her tongue to taste every drop of what its’s left on my mouth. She is still tugging my shirt when she decreases the space between us.

“I love when you have new ideas, Cupcake” She says still getting her breathe back.

I chuckle and kiss her again.

“The only thing I don’t like” She says breaking the kiss. “It’s this clothes you are wearing.”

I waste no time getting rid of my clothes. Carmilla is smirking to me, laying on her side, while I finish to get completely naked. She makes a come hither and pats the space by her side. I wrap myself in her, placing my thigh between her legs, grabbing her ass and kissing her mouth again. She kisses me back, just enough to tell me to turn around. This is not exactly what I have in mind, but with a little of hesitation I remove my leg and hands from her and I turn.

She pulls out the hair from my neck and starts to kissing it, pressing her boobs against my back and massaging my thigh. My body is reacting immediately and I want to hold on something that is not our sheets. I want to touch her again. There is nothing new to this position, but it’s the one Carmilla uses to touch me in the best effective way and lately that’s mostly how she touches me. I can feel her whole body pressed against mine, but I can’t really touch her the way I want, which kind of frustrates me.

I forget how to breathe for a few seconds when she is sucking and biting hard on my shoulder and I’m sure she is going to leave a mark.

 

“Carm. I let out when I can focus on my thoughts again. “You’re marking…”

And she knows what I mean, because she leaves the spot trying to use her tongue to sooth some of the damage she made. I know it’s kind of late for that, but I’m not gonna freak out about it now.

I just don’t want to get to the hospital to deliver a baby showing some hickies, like a teenager. I am an adult, a married woman and a future mother, after all. I’ve talked to Carmilla about it, but now I just hope I won’t be in labor in the next days or so.

“Are you okay there, Cupcake?” Carmilla asks me. I have been so lost in my worries to get embarrassed, that I totally forget where I was and what she is doing to me.

“Sorry. I’m just…” I turn slightly to her. “I want to touch you.”

“You were touching me just right now.”

“I know, is that…” I turn my whole body and face her. “I want to keep touching you.”

She nods to me. “Alright.” She kisses the tip of my nose, then she reaches my neck again, trailing kisses to my chest. I enlace my fingers on her hair, getting rid on her hair band, leaning my back on the mattress, enjoying the moment again. She takes her time, like always, brushing her cheeks against my belly like a cat, while her hands are tracing the contour of my sides.

I know what she is going to do next, but I can’t complain, like I would in any other occasion. The more my belly gets bigger the more I feel like Carmilla is holding herself. I know if I say something we will start to argue and that’s not what I want right now, really. This is our honeymoon, after all and, even though I am not made of glass, I don’t want to push her to do something she is not clearly comfortable to.

She is down on me and I’m just thankful at her skilled tongue, so if I really think about it, I don’t have anything to complain. Especially if I think how sex with Danny were so boring and… Carmilla is looking at me again, biting her lower lip.

“I feel like I’m doing something wrong here” she says to me.

I feel my cheeks getting warmer and I tug her hair again, pushing her down, back to where she was a second ago. She doesn’t say anything else and I get rid of the memories of Danny and me having sex from my mind. I concentrate in Carmilla and let my body and mind taking in every single thing she is doing to me. I’m moaning again and Carmilla is increasing her motions and things are getting better and better, until all I can feel are waves of pure pleasure taking my whole body. But the feeling turns bittersweet. It’s like a sharp cramp in the bottom of my uterus. I’ve felt it before, but not strong like this. I’m whimpering with the pain and it doesn’t take too long for Carmilla to notice that I’m not in bliss with the orgasm she just gave to me.

“Laura, are you okay?” Carmilla asks, propping herself on her knees.

I nod to her, but the pain attacks me again, for a longer period of time. My hands are pressed on my hips and I turn to my side. In the next second the pain is gone, but the worried look on Carmilla’s face is not. She brushes my hair, pulling it away from my face.

“It’s just another contraction” I say to calm her down. But she is still looking at me like she saw a ghost. “Carm, I’m okay, this is normal don’t worry.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you think we should go to the hospital?”

“No. It’s not that bad. The last time this happened my doctor said that this could happen during sex too, it’s even more likely than in any other random moment.”

She seems a little less worried with this new information. “Come here.” I say to her, gesturing for the spot in front of me. 

“Are you sure it’s okay? I mean I don’t mind if we-“

“Carm, I’m okay, come on.”

She resigns and lays on her side, with her back facing me. I spoon her, placing a light kiss on her shoulder and wrapping my leg around her. I missed this position a lot.

“Did you feel any good, at least?” Carmilla asks with some sort of uncertainty in her voice.

“A lot.” I reassure her. “That’s why the pain was also so intense.”

She snorts. “Now I can’t even give you a decent orgasm, Cupcake, that’s a shame.”

I kiss her again, squeezing her hands under mine. “I don’t think this is going to happen all the time. We can try it again later.”

I can’t see her face, but somehow I assume she is not very happy about the prospect of it.

 

**+++**

 

I ended up falling sleep. Not just because I was tired again, but because pregnancy always makes me sleepy. I take naps in the afternoon of most days, but they can get a lot better when Carmilla is with me, like right now. I wake up facing her back and I place some kisses against her skin. I don’t even think about it, it’s almost like an instinct thing. Carmilla is very still before me, only moving slightly following her breathing. 

I turn to my nightstand and take a bacon strip from the tray. I barely ate my breakfast and everything is cold now, but I can’t really complain. At all. I see a black sharpie by the alarm clock and I don’t know if it’s because I am kind of bore, or because I’m in a mood to tease Carmilla, but I have an idea.

I take the sharpie and turn to Carmilla’s back again. I draw a small heart on the same spot she left a hickie on me. I feel kind of even with her. But then I look at her whole back like it’s my own blank canvas. I smile to myself, while I’m making more drawings. I make some stars and even a little cat. Then I draw a sun and more stars. 

“Are you drawing on me?” The husky voice of Carmilla startles me.

“No” I say freezing in place. I put the lid back on the sharpie and hide it behind my back.

Carmilla turns to me with a confused face. “You’re 5 now?” She scowls.

“I was kind of bored.” I justify with my better innocent smile.

She rolls her eyes, shaking her head. “That’s exactly what a bored 5 year old would do.” She looks at the nightstand. “Did you use the sharpie I left there yesterday?”

I nod, even though I think I shouldn’t, because she is giving me the death stare.

“Fuck, Laura, that’s a permanent marker.” She turns her head to look at her back in vain. 

I laugh. I just laugh. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen her grumping like that in weeks. Or maybe because I have always found Carmilla’s broodiness cute. She gets so storm up, but she is harmless, like an annoyed little cat. I can’t deny how her desperation is hilarious, and I feel a little bad when she leaves the bed to look at her back on the big mirror by the bathroom door.

“You also draw like a 5 year old!” Her eyes are wide open with the image reflected. “Hollis, I can’t believe you!”

I laugh again with the sight of Carmilla naked with her back scribbled looking at me like it’s the end of the world. “It’s not a tattoo, your dummy, this will disappear eventually.”

“Eventually?” She runs to the nightstand, searching every corner of it. “Where is it?”

“What are you talking about?” I say with my faux innocent gaze.

She raises a brow at me, climbing on the bed, then me. “Where did you hide it, Creampuff?”

I bite my lower lip to hide my smile. “Don’t tell me you are thinking about revenge, because I’m sure you once have said to me how that was outrage.”

“I’ve never said that.” She leans into me, patting the bed by my side.

“What are going to do if you find it? Are you really going to draw something on me? You already gave me a hickie, is that not enough?”

She raises her both brow. “So you did it on purpose!” Her hands as tucked behind me groping my back. She finally finds the sharpie between my fingers. “Give me that.”

“No” I say with a challenging glare, holding firmly the pen.

“I’m not gonna ask again” She says lowering her head towards me, getting even closer to my face. I can’t take her seriously for a second.

I shake my head. “You know you can’t use brutal force on me, so…” I shrug mocking her. “You are going to need another method to take this pen from me.”

She huffs. “What a dirty little tricky, Cupcake.” She shakes her head and climbs out from me.

I feel disappointed at how cold I feel suddenly. My breathing is still erratic with all the excitement Carmilla urges on me, especially when she disappears inside of our bathroom. I release the sharpie behind my back and I let out another frustrating breath. I wish our honeymoon could be a little more spicy but… I shrug. I turn to the tray and take a piece of pancake, remembering the high moment of the morning. It was probably the high moment of our whole honeymoon.

But I freeze when I see Carmilla returning from the bathroom and I automatically grab the sharpie again. She is wearing nothing but a strap-on and her classic smirk, looking at me like she’s on a mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The revised version will be up soon.
> 
> Did you like the second person view? It was a fun chapter to write, but I don't know it will be fun for you to read. Never done that before.
> 
> Next chapter will be up friday.


	32. Carmilla Von Karnstein-Hollis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The honeymoon part 2, and some first parent classes.

**Chapter 32 – Carmilla Von Karnstein-Hollis**

 

I was scared to death. I still am, but I can’t tell her. I can’t tell her that every time she shows the slight sight of pain, my heart freezes. The fear is so real and it scares me deeply. But I can’t tell her. I can’t tell her because I need to be fucking strong. For the sake of both of us. I really don’t want to think about this, but it is eventually on my mind. I feel so protective of her, but I can’t be all over her. I’ve heard her complaining about it over and over. First her father, then Danny. And Perry. I don’t want to do their mistakes, but I got to admit how hard this is. I want to protect her from everyone and everything.

 

But when she looks at me with those puppy eyes, pleading me to touch her the way she wants, I feel defeated. Sex with Laura is the best thing in the world, but lately is also something that terrifies me. I know I can’t deny her anything, but at the same time I’m not willing to put her in any risk. So I try to find a compromise. That’s how things with Laura have always worked out.

 

Her eyes shines when she sees me with that strap-on. She has been asking me to use that thing again, but I have been stalling. I need to remind myself that I have to be gentle with her. Every time we have sex, I feel more insecure. I don’t show her this, I can’t. Because she will be mad and make a stupid speech about her not been made of glass, and that sex is very health for pregnant women. I know all of that, but it’s not enough to make me relax.

 

But today is our honeymoon, I know how special this is, even though we are at our house and not in some romantic trip to a very overrated place. We’ve been to many places lately, so we both agreed that this was enough. Be with each other is enough.

 

I don’t know how she manages to be cute and sexy at the same time, but this is just another trait of Laura Hollis I know and love so much. Well, Laura Kanstein-Hollis. I love to have my name on hers. And I love to have her name on mine. It makes us feel more like a family.

 

Her mouth in hanging open in the most adorable way. I go to the bed and I keep myself on my knees while I ask Laura to choose a position. This is not sexy at all, and maybe I am killing the mood, but I don’t fucking care. I want to make her happy, and if she wants something more intense, it’s that what I’m giving her. She lies on her side and I make an attempt. It’s weird and I can’t have any traction on the bed. Be on her back is out of the question, because her back can’t take this position for too long.

 

I try to keep the mood light up, making some lame jokes about how I look like a whiteboard of a kinder garden class, and she is laughing about it. She laughed a lot about the whole thing. If she was anyone else I would be offended and fucking mad. But I can’t be really mad at Laura. I even said that in my wedding vows and she probably remembers that, because she was not feeling intimidating at my stares one bit.

 

“I think this is the one” she says propping herself on her hands and knees, with her ass up in the air.

I never saw her like that and I gulp dry. Laura must be really horny, God. And I’m so screw.

I grip on her thighs and I start gentle. I know this new position can make her feel new things, but I was not prepared for the sounds she is making. The last time I heard her moaning and panting like this was on her old house in Minnesota, when she was so mad at me that she complained about the noises I made her produce.

If in the morning she was kind of distracted, now she is so into this. And this kind of scares me. 

“Faster, Carm” she says between rough breaths. I do what she wants and she asks for more.

I feel like that day, the first day we had sex, she was extremely demanding and bossy. I wish I could be enjoying this more, I really do. The problem is that my fears are still driving me somehow.

“Carm, I swear to God, if you don’t move any faster-“

And I do. And she is already lost. I wonder if our neighbors know that there are actual people living in here now, or if they think that the ghosts are back with some heavy stuff. I clear my mind again, because her noises are getting into me. My fears are still fighting with my lust and I’m not sure who is going to win.

 

She is finally coming and I don’t have the answer to that yet. I smooth my movements, enjoying a bit this moment. I love to see her coming. She is laying on her side, looking at me in awe. I can’t help to feel some cravings getting the best of me too. I have an idea and I’m not sure if it’s safe or not. So I let her to decide it.

 

I lean to her, crawling on my hands and knees and I keep looking at her face. I approach her legs and touch her inner thighs lightly, using only the tips of my fingers. She is opening a smile, noticing what I’m about to do. Her clit was totally forgotten in the last minutes, and I know if I touch it, I’m going to lead her to another storm of pleasure. I have done it before and she just loved it. So I go for it, I can’t back down now, she is waiting for me. And I am sure I’m going to rock her world again.

 

**+++**

 

I’m awake by the smell of pizza that I love so much. Laura is sat by my side, wearing my red flannel, eating a slice straight from the box on her lap. There is something about my wife wearing my clothes that makes me so happy.

“I thought you would sleep until tomorrow after all the activities” I say siting up and taking a slice to myself.

“I was not the one doing the hard work to be so worn out.” She gives me that dork smile that I love more than pizza. “Thank you, by the way.”

“You are very welcome” I say kissing her lips, it tastes like pepperoni. 

“I don’t know if this counts as lunch or dinner, but I thought it would be a great moment for pizza. Also I was craving it so much” she says happily. She is practically glowing with so much joy. I did rock her world.

“Good call.” I give her a thump up and I let out a huge burp.

She smacks my shoulder. “Manners! You know you can’t do that in front of our son.”

I shrug. “You’re one to talk, kindergarten tagger.”

“I was been artistic and you are gross.”

“Talking about this, where is that sharpie? I kind of earned that, don’t you think?” I nudge her, winking.

She giggles. “Yeah you totally did. But you are not drawing on me anytime soon.”

“You are being so unfair to me, Cupcake, damn.” I bite my lip and I tuck my hands under the pillows.

“You’re not gonna find it” she says with a sassy smile and I change the direction of my hands, touching Laura instead. “Oh no, no tickles!”

 

But it’s too late and I’m already making her burst into laughs. She looks so beautiful when she is laughing. Well, to be completely honest, she is always beautiful. I feel so overwhelmed by her that she is straddling me now, attacking my ribs. I feel lost in her and I don’t care one bit.

 

After I ask for mercy and Laura sets me free, and we watch some TV on the living room. Ten minutes into Buffy and we are making out like two gross teenagers. Laura is squeezing my boob and I’m grouping her ass. This feels so harmless that I think I’m enjoying this more than sex.

Laura’s phone is making a noise and she stops to kiss me. I complain on the spot. “Cupcake, no.”

“Just a minute, Carm, this can be important.” She extends her hand to the coffee table, but I don’t move an inch. “It’s Perry.”

“What the hell she wants?” 

“She is just asking if everything is okay with us.” Laura’s hand leaves my boob and I want to kill Perry with the power of my mind.

“Tell her she is interrupting our sexy time and to not text you again ever.”

“Rude” she says under her breath, taping something I’m sure is friendly and not a little bit witty.

We ended up the night taking a hot bath in our brand new bathtub. This is much larger and much more comfortable than the one we had in the apartment. 

“It’s fading?” I ask her while she brushes my back with a luffa and soap.

“Kind of” she says with her guilty voice. I know that the thing is probably the same.

“You’re lucky it’s not summer, so I can hide this stupid draws.”

“I’m lucky? You gave me a hickie, and now I look like a teenager that got pregnant because she doesn’t know how sex works.”

“Oh, so dramatic.”

“I’m not the one complaining about some silly draws. I’m the only one who is going to see it anyway. Why do you even care?”

I don’t, but I like to tease her about it. Also, I’m really into this brushing on my back. I’m sure I am going to ask her to do it every day to me. It’s so good.

“I’m going to get another sharpie and we will see how much do _you_ care about it.”

“If you do it before I give birth I’m going to file for a divorce, I swear to God.”

“We barely got married and you are already threatening to ask me for a divorce? Nice one, Cupcake.”

She stops to brush my back and I immediately feel so bad. Even though I’m not the one to bring the D word into the conversation.

“I’m sorry” she says with a small voice. Now I feel like the worst human being.

I turn and I touch her face. She is crying. I hate that sometimes I forget about that, I forget that her hormones makes her so vulnerable.

“Cupcake, I’m just kidding” I say with a comforting voice, kissing her eyes.

“I’m a terrible wife.”

“No, you’re not.” I kiss her eyes again and then her lips. How could a stupid little joke turns into this? 

She kisses me too and my heart feels light again. Yeah, we do have sex in there too.

 

**+++**

 

I thought that the next morning would be a little different, but no. I have lost the count of times we had sex in these two days. I’m a little less scared, but it never leaves me completely. In the afternoon, after we nap for an hour, Laura suggests to me to go to the movies, because we never did that before. We had some dates here and there, but I never went to a theatre with her. She read somewhere you can never go to the movies with a baby, so I think this can be a good idea.

 

It’s good to leave the house after a whole day and a half without setting a foot outside. Laura grabs my left hand and she looks at the rings in there every 5 minutes, giggling and kissing my cheek after she notices me gazing her. There is a terrible selection of movies for us to see, but I don’t really care about what we are seeing. I let Laura choose a silly romantic comedy and I buy her the biggest bucket of popcorn. She doesn’t let me have the gallon of soda they sell in there, so I just have juice and water. Yeah, she is right, I need to be more health.

 

The movie was not that bad but I was paying more attention to Laura than to the silly dumbasses that I know will be together after the 90 minutes of angst. She is so adorable rooting for the lame couple and she gets legitimate happy when they are finally together. She pulls me for a kiss while the credits are rolling and now I feel happy too, but not because of fictional people.

 

After Laura goes to the bathroom, I am walking in the mall, looking at shop windows. We see a yoga studio where some pregnant women are leaving and Laura drags me in there. She asks at the receptionist about some classes they have and she schedules a first parent classes for us.

 

**+++**

 

On Tuesday, Laura returns to work and I see myself alone in the house for the first time since we moved in. There is some laundry to take care of, but that just it, basically. And dinner, of course. I keep working on my book and catching up with my reading list. There are still some baby books I have to read and I can’t forget about that, or Laura will bite my head off.

 

On Friday I have to meet Laura in the mall for the parent’s class. I only remembers about the car I need to buy when I have to decide between the expensive taxi or the bus that takes forever to come. I take the taxi because I don’t want to be late, Laura hates that.

 

I get there early, there is only another couple waiting for the class to start. Laura is already talking with the other mother being all social. Of course she would be. I feel less broody when she looks at me with that wonderful smile. She looks a bit tired, but I don’t say anything, I just brush her hair and give a kiss in her cheek.

 

She pulls me into conversation I just nod and hum agreeing with her. I don’t really want to talk with people that I’ll never see again in my life. More couples are coming and the receptionist leads us to a large room with shining hardwood floor. They ask us to remove our shoes and I’m there on my socks while Laura is barefoot.

 

A middle age woman comes and introduces herself to the group, I forget her name right after she says it, I only remember she is a midwife. She talks about diets, bladders, hormones and other things that are not new to me. Then she talks about the labor and that makes Laura a little tense.

 

We was sitting on plastic chairs, but for the next part of the class she is telling us to make a relaxing session, sitting on the floor. I lean my back against the wall and Laura sits between my legs, leaning her back against me. The woman asks us to close our eyes and she plays something on a small stereo. It’s the sound of waves in a beach. At first I feel really silly doing it and I think it’s sort of a waste of time, but as the minutes are passing I’m feeling so calm that for a moment I feel like we are in a real beach, with Laura so warmly snuggling me. I feel her back relaxing on my chest and her hands falling on my legs and I can’t really describe the feeling of peace surrounding me.

 

The music fades and I notice how gentle is the voice of the woman. I regret not catching her name, because now I care about what she has to say. Laura turns to me and she brushes my cheek with a delightful smile, looking at the woman again.

 

“I’ll need a volunteer to show you the next method” she says and Laura is eagerly raising her hand like a front row geek in class.

She calls Laura, and she is happily there waiting for the instructions.

“You never know how long you are going to be in the delivery room for the labor, it can takes a few hours or even 2 days. So, these tips will help you to deal with contractions and have a better experience delivering the baby” the woman says gesturing for Laura to turn to her.

“In this first position your partner will face you, placing both hands on your hips, or here.” She pulls Laura placing her hands on her shoulders, while the woman’s hands are on Laura’s waist. “If she is shorter you can place your hands a little above the waist line.” Laura is giggling, of course she would be.

“And you” she tells Laura. “Can relax your legs like this.” She folds her legs up and down. “See? You can also turn and make the same motion.” She makes Laura turns and now she is the one folding her legs. “Now go practice with your partner.”

Laura comes to me and I’m glad the woman said partner and not “husband” or “father” or whatever other heteronormative names. There is no other same sex couple in the group, only the two of us.

 

I hold Laura in the position the woman just showed. I had no idea how this could be so simple. For the next one she uses a chair, and she calls me, because she probably thinks I’m a social being like Laura. She makes me sit on the chair in front of the class and she asks me to spread my legs. I feel like a 12 year old and I want to giggle, but I use all of my strength to not do it. I also don’t look at Laura, because if I do, I know I will laugh.

 

The woman’s back is facing me and she is propping her elbows on my knees, hutching down, folding her legs like before. I finally look at Laura and she is pressing her lips hard, and I know she is also holding her laugh, because we are two huge dorks. The other couples are doing the same exercise and it’s getting harder and harder to contain my stupid grin, so I excuse myself to go to the bathroom. Luckily the bathroom is in the end of a long hallway. I put my shoes in a rush and head toward it.

 

I’m actually peeing when I hear someone coming in and I recognize the laughs echoing in the tiled walls. 

“You’re such a huge dork, Cupcake” I say opening the door of the stall.

Laura looks at me with widen eyes, covering her mouth. “It’s all your fault!” 

“My fault? I was not the one almost peeing in my pants to hold a laugh.” I go to the sink to wash my hands.

She points a finger at me. “You were doing worst, you should see your face!”

“At least I didn’t come here to laugh.” I show her my snark smile because I really lost my will to laugh when I left the room.

“I really need to pee.” After Laura says that another pregnant woman comes in.

“Excuse me, my bladder is killing me. Oh my little Caroline” she says entering in one of the stalls.

“I know the feeling” Laura says entering in another one.

“I think one day I’ll pee on my pants, this little girl is playing tricks on me.”

I cross my arms, leaning on the sink. It’s kind of funny hearing them. 

“My little one here is doing the same to me, sometimes I seriously think about getting an adult dipper.”

“That crossed my mind too.” She sighs. “At least you are married to a woman, I’m sure she is more understanding of your bathrooms emergencies.”

“Well, can’t really complain about that, my wife is the best” Laura says and I feel a little embarrassed and I don’t know if I should leave the bathroom now or not.

The woman is flushing so I walk slowly to the door and I leave the bathroom with a huge grin on my face, before she sees me in there. I wait for Laura outside, leaning my back in the wall making a poker face. After a whole minute the woman is coming and also is Laura.

“Oh, she is even waiting for you here outside” the woman says and I am sure I’m smiling again.

 

**+++**

 

We both are able to make the rest of the positions without laughing, which is a good thing. We watch some instructions about breathing and pushing. The labor part is over and now is the moment to hear about the newborn. The midwife gives us a baby doll and Laura holds it like a pro, while I look at her feeling kind of lost.

“This position is the perfect one for breastfeeding.” The woman says holding the baby in a horizontal position. “And this one, for other purposes.” She holds it in a more vertical position, leaning on her chest.

Laura is training the positions and after the second one she hands me the doll, like it is a real baby. I really don’t know how to do this and I drop the doll on the floor. Laura looks at me with a raised brow.

“Carmilla, have you ever held a baby before?”

“No” I say like it’s not a big deal.

She makes this face that I don’t know if she is pity or mad at me.

“How…?” She shakes her head. “Never mind.” She takes the baby from the floor and she does it again, she hands it to me, but more gently this time. “You need to support the head, yeah like this.”

I feel like a mummy, but I manage to hold the little thing in the right position. It’s so light and small. 

The midwife is walking towards us and I give her some sort of smile. I think.

“You can relax a bit, they are not going to bite you.” She touches my arms, making me a little less tense. “You know you can also breastfeed them too, right?”

I freeze. Or maybe not, I’m not really sure if I nodded to her or if I just stood there quiet after she is going to talk to the next couple.

“Carm?” I hear Laura’s voice and I look at her again, bouncing the baby like the midwife showed me.

“Yes.”

“You don’t need to breastfeeding him, okay? One pair of leaking boobs will be enough for us, trust me.”

She is extending her hands to take the baby from me and I feel like a very heavy weigh has been lift from my back.

“Are sure?” I say to her, just because.

She chuckles. “Yes, I am.” I almost drop the baby again and Laura presses her lips tightly. “But I think we should practice the holding part a little bit more.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura trades phone numbers with the lady from the bathroom and with some other pregnant ladies. We are walking to take the car and Laura is smiling like an adorable goof.

“You know, it’s kind of nice to know other pregnant people besides myself. We don’t even know any other couple with kids and this was so fun and very informative.”

“Yeah it was.” I squeeze her hand. “Especially after the part we managed to hold our laughs.”

“If it wasn’t for that far away bathroom I think we could have been kicked out of the class.”

I chuckle. “Probably.”

Laura sighs. “It’s still kind of strange when people refer to us as married. It’s so new.”

“Yeah, it is, but it’s a good strange.”

“Definitely a good strange.” She pulls me and gives me a peck. We are getting in the mall parking lot and now she is leading us to where she parked the car. “Can you imagine a labor that last 48 hours?”

“No, I can’t.” 

“We need to be prepared for anything, Carm. Jennifer was telling me about these full length labor videos, I think we should watch it.”

“Jennifer?” We get in the car and I open the door for Laura.

“The lady in the bathroom” she says holding in the car door before entering it.

“Ah.” I nod and I go to my side.

“She is going to text me the link to this website with labor videos, we can watch tonight after dinner.”

“Are you sure you want to see it? I’m always seeing people getting traumatized by these videos in TV shows.” I start the car and drive away.

“TV shows?” She snorts. “If you have said that you are scare to see them, I would believe you better.”

“You are the one who is scared of horror movies, not me Cupcake.”

“This is not horror movies, it’s real life.”

“Exactly. Horror movies are fake, and real life is not.”

“It’s the miracle of life, it’s not scary” she says in that high pitchy tone.

I chuckle. “I was not worried about me when I mentioned the TV shows. You are the one popping this kid out and you are also the one who is very impressionable.”

“I’m pretty sure I will see them just fine. You will be the one hiding your face under the sheets.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Yes, I want to make a bet.”

 

**+++**

 

I’m a stupid moron, I know that. I bet with Laura that I would watch an entire labor video through and through, but I really don’t know if I can. The thing is, I need to show her that I’m up to this, that I can be the person she needs in that hospital room for as long it takes for our kid to born.

 

So when we get home I google “full length birth videos” and I see if I can handle them, while Laura is the office dealing with another wedding emergency. There is a lot of screaming and panting. There are also very calm labors, but most of them are tense and I think Laura should not watch them. Because I don’t know how her case will be, so why should we get stressed about something that maybe will never happen? And knowing Laura, I’m almost sure she will think in the worst case scenario. I don’t want that. I want to protect her, as always.

 

One thing I know for sure: I can watch those videos without flinching. I made a silly bet that I’m going to win probably, but this is not about win. This about not letting Laura watching these videos at all.

 

My first tactic is to avoid this video session for as long as possible. So I start to prepare a very warm bath before she leaves the home office. I use some salts and bubbles we got as a wedding gift from Perry. They smell incredibly good and I almost forgive her for that fucking text interruption.

 

I’m almost sure Laura will be very asleep after this and she won’t be able to watch anything. Yeah, you got this Karnstein. She comes from the room complaining about her feet and I offer her the bath. She gives me a huge smile and kiss me with so much passion that I forget how to breathe. She is undressing me and tossing me inside the bathtub before she gets herself naked and enters it too.

 

I give her an orgasm and I change sides in the bathtub to rub her feet. They are swollen again.

“This is such a good idea, Carm. Thanks.” My idea was not to have sex with her in there, but I don’t mind getting credit for it.

“You are very welcome, my Cupcake.” I give her one of my killer looks. She is blushing.

“Are you ready for Halloween tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I am. Are you? You’re kind of tired lately.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s the last wedding I’ll be working on, after that I’ll have just some office duties, then I’ll be officially in maternity leave. Dr. Collins said that Riley will probably born in two or three weeks.”

“Two weeks? But the duo date it’s not on November 24th? It’s like 3 weeks and a half.”

“Well, the baby doesn’t need all 40 weeks to be born, after 37 he is basically fully formed, and after 39 weeks we can start the induce labor methods, which means we should have lots and lots of sex.” She gives that sexy smile again and I don’t know if I’m happy or scary about it. Probably both.

I release one foot and take the next. “It’s going to be such a huge sacrifice for the both of us, I’m sure, but I’m willing to do that in the name of our son’s health” I said to her in my best snarky tone, so she won’t probably notice the part of me that is still afraid.

“Yeah, such a huge sacrifice, Lady Killer.” She winks for me and I’m sure she didn’t notice it. I hope.

“Let’s go watch the labor videos?” she says still in her upbeat mood. It’s beyond me to understand how can she do that.

I can’t help the broodiness getting the best of me. “Sure.”

“You don’t seem so sure.” Her upbeat demeanor is fading. Oh, fuck.

I don’t say anything, I just concentrate on Laura’s foot between my hands. I know I’m making some decent work because I can see her face reacting to my hands moves.

She lets out a long sigh. “Why don’t you just tell me you don’t want to see them? You don’t need to feel embarrassed about it.”

I’m definitely not embarrassed about that. But I also can’t say why I’m worried.

“I don’t want to see it” I simply say. It’s not a lie, really.

Laura just nods. “Okay. I’ll see them by myself.”

I clench my jaw. What can I do for her to give up of this stupid idea without sounding like a jerk?

“What the freaking hell, Carmilla?” She ruffles. “I said it’s okay, why are you still moping?”

“I’m not moping.” It’s obvious that my disguising game it’s very poor right now.

She removes her leg from me and I glare at her, making my best to look aloof.

“What is wrong?” she says in a gentle tone. I was not really expecting that.

I don’t want to say the truth. I don’t want to lie. I can’t lie. And I can’t make her feel smothered. But what is the alternative? Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“I think…” I start smoothly. “I think it’s not a good thing for you to watch those videos.”

“Why not?” she is keeping it cool, which it’s a good thing so far.

“Because…” I take a deep breath. “I think that you can be overwhelmed by them.”

“And why do you think that?” 

I try my best for not rolling my eyes. “Because I know you and… You will be stressed and will think in the worst case scenario and you don’t even know if this will be the case.”

“Carmilla. I deal with stressful things every day. Births are not weddings, but the best way to deal with them it’s basically the same. You have to be prepared for the worst, because if it happens, you are prepared for it. And if I get prepared for the worst, I won’t be so afraid. Do you understand that?”

She is already scared, of course she would be. How can I be so dumb, seriously?

“I understand that.”

Her face relaxes. “Good.”

 

When we sit down on our bed to watch the first video on the laptop over our legs, Laura holds my hand and gives it a light squeeze. It’s not that bad as I thought it would be. I’m more watching Laura than the video, I can’t help to be worried about her. This is something on my life that will never change, not matter what, because I love her. And all of that, love and fear, comes in the same package.

 

By the second video I’m a little more comfortable to make some comments and even to laugh about the panicked father. Laura is more confident too and this warms my heart. She makes some jokes talking to Riley and I do it too. I wish he could be here with us, so I could hold him like I just learned in class. And maybe because he is here somehow, I already feel like the three of us are a family.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next week with the Halloween wedding ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy your Friday!


	33. Wicked Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Halloween wedding.

**Chapter 33 – Wicked Night**

 

Carmilla almost didn’t see Laura leaving the bedroom in the morning. It was so early and they agreed on going together to work on the Halloween wedding. But at 6 a.m. Laura was already ready to go without Carmilla.

“What are doing?” Carmilla asked raising her head from under a pillow.

“Perry is waiting for me outside, somethings got belated and we need to rush there.”

“It’s not too early?”

“Yeah, it is.” Laura kissed Carmilla’s forehead. “Go back to sleep, we don’t need you until noon, okay?”

Carmilla mumbled something incomprehensive, dropping herself on the bed. Her mind was basically off to process all the information. But Laura knew that Carmilla was getting the message somehow.

 

**+++**

 

At noon Carmilla was getting in the dresser room. Like the usual, the place was crowded and people was in a rush. She completely forgot about the costume part. Everybody in this wedding needed to be dress in some kind of scary costume. After a quick look at Carmilla, Jane decided she would be a vampire. Of course, Carmilla thought. What else, right?

 

But the costume was really detailed. Daisy had even glued some fake fangs on her teeth. She was wearing a black corset, knee high leather boots and a black cape, in a very Dracula style. The makeup made her look even paler, but her lips was bright red.

 

“Bro, if I didn’t know you, I really would buy you as a real vampire.” Kirsch said at the first sight of Carmilla.

“I can say the same, Frankenstein.” Carmilla mocked back. Those stupid fangs were kind of hard to get used to.

“Hey, not cool!” He said mad then raised his brows in a snarky smile. “I knew you’d got this wrong. I’m Dr. Frankenstein’s monster.”

“Oh really?” Carmilla mirrored his expression. Kirsch nodded. “I don’t give a damn.”

“ _I am_ Dr. Frankenstein, Mrs. Karnstein-Hollis.” Said Lafontaine coming between them, pointing their fingers to themselves. “And _I knew_ you would be just perfect as a vampire.”

They grinned very provocative to Carmilla. She just snorted.

“It all makes sense now.” She said walking away.

“Hey! Don’t you wanna know Perry’s costume? Or your wife’s?” They said trying to make Carmilla return.

“I’ll discover that myself.” She said.

She got a text from Laura 2 minutes early, telling Carmilla to meet her at the coat closet. Walking around a row of pumpkins and skulls, Carmilla was feeling in her personal heaven with the wedding decoration. It was probably the first time she really liked and cared for a wedding that was not her own.

 

Carmilla got the directions of the coat closet and when she found the open window of the counter closet, she kept scanning the place for Laura. There were just a girl dressed like the Wicked Witch of the West, and… was that Laura?

 

She turned smiling to Carmilla, with her green face and pointy hat. “Wow, Lady Killer!” She look at Carmilla with widen eyes, mouth hung open.

“Looking for the ruby sleepers?” Carmilla asked raising a brow and propping her elbows on the counter, approaching her face to Laura’s neck.

Laura chuckled. “Are you interested in some green blood?”

“Do you really think her blood was green? I thought it was just her skin.”

“Nerdy much?” Laura gave a step back, Carmilla shook her head, biting her lower lip. “Well, don’t forget our rules, Mrs. It’s not because we are married that we can PDA on work.”

Carmilla opened a large smile. “I’m not really worried about me, _Laura_.” She used her tongue to brush her fake fangs. “The Wicked Witch of the West gave me nightmares when I was a child.”

Laura frowned. “Rude!” She raised both hands “Just because you are a sexy vampire, now you are getting cocky. Let’s go to the staff meeting.”

Carmilla smirked. “Sexy vampire? Thanks.”

Laura turned around the counter and pushed Carmilla by her back. “Always so full of yourself.”

 

Carmilla rolled her eyes and walked with Laura to the ballroom. The venue was in the middle of the woods and the ballroom was a kind of a fancy barn with orange, black and purple Halloween decoration.

“Can we have a Halloween wedding? This is so rad!” Carmilla said not containing her enthusiasm.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not? Weddings are usually so lame. And people can dress with costumes, it can be like a cosplay thing, are you not into that?”

Laura considered that for a moment. “When you put it in that way…” She sighed looking at Jane coming with Kirsch. She was dressed like Santa Muerte. “We can talk about it.”

Carmilla smiled to her, placing her hands behind of her back instead of kissing Laura, like she wanted to. “Yes, we can.”

Along the meeting Carmilla was more concerned to notice the other waiters’ costumes. There was another vampire, a mummy, a werewolf, other witches, and even the all the members of the Adams Family. And then she saw Perry, she was dressed like Lydia from Beetlejuice.

 

After the end of the meeting Carmilla approached Lafontaine, pointing to Perry “That’s how _I_ was supposed to be dressed.”

“Yeah, I think that’s work for you too.” They nodded. “But Perry wanted to be someone who is not a supernatural thing, so…” They shrugged. “She is my lady, she can be whatever she wants to be.”

“So whipped.” Carmilla mumbled. 

They laughed out loud. “Have you seen yourself in the mirror, Karnstein?”

“Yeah, I saw a very sexy vampire.”

They snorted “You are like the most whipped person that ever set foot on earth.”

“I thought we were done talking about you.”

They pulled her cape up covering her face. 

“Carmilla, can you come here, please?” Laura said by Jane’s side gesturing for Carmilla.

“Sure.” She said taking the cape from her face and walking away.

They made a whip sound while Carmilla was leaving. She turned to them for a moment, showing her middle finger in a way that only Lafontaine could see it, plastering a wide smile on her face, then turning again to Laura.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla was way more distracted in this wedding than the previous one. And also she got more harassed than before. There was not only a bridesmaid hitting on her, but also 2 other guys, one dressed like a vampire and the other as a werewolf. She tried to decline then politely. She made a way to show them her ring, but it was useless.

 

Laura kept looking at her from a distance. Carmilla caught her eyes wandering on her clothes, especially her cleavage. Unfortunately Laura was not the only one staring at her boobs.

 

After the ceremony the host called all the guests to dance and almost all of the tables were empty. Carmilla thought she would finally get a break but it was the opposite. One of the guys invited her to dance and the bridesmaid was trying to corner her to the “death chambers”; it was a dark hallway with some skeletons and other scary props.

 

She ran away to the coat closet and closed it windows. There was nobody there anyway. She heard a knock on the door, furrowing her brow.

“I said I’m not into this Twilight crap, get out of here!” Carmilla yelled.

“Carm?” She heard from the other side.

She opened the door feeling a ton relieved. “Cupcake.” She said with a tender smile to Laura.

“Tough night, huh?” Laura entered the closed.

Carmilla closed the door turning to Laura. “God, I don’t understand this thing people have for vampires!”

“I do.” Laura said taking her eyes from Carmilla cleavage and smiling for her. 

“Are you okay? I’m pretty sure people are bugging you too.”

“You were right.” Laura gave her a sad smile. “People are too much scared of the Wicked Witch.”

Carmilla felt terrible and mentally smacked her own head.

“I was just teasing you.” She approached Laura, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You are a very sexy witch.”

“No, I’m not.” Laura shook her head. “I’m almost 9 months pregnant, with a horrible costume, and green, and fat, and-“

Carmilla shut her up with a kiss.

“…and… you taste like wine.” Laura said with dazzled eyes.

Carmilla kissed her again, bringing Laura closer to her.

“You are going to get the green paint on your face.” Laura said breathing again.

“Who cares?” 

Now Laura was pulling Carmilla to her. Their kiss got heated and Carmilla was moving her mouth to Laura’s neck.

“What happened to your fangs?”

“I spit them out, it was pain in the ass.” Carmilla said between kisses.

“That was kind of sexy.” Laura said kissing Carmilla’s mouth again.

Carmilla smiled pulling Laura’s skirt up with her right hand. She wanted to finish what she started that day at the Swag. Her hands were making their way to Laura’s underwear, in the same moment Laura was taking off her headset mic. She let out a loud moan, feeling Carmilla’s fingers dancing on her clit.

Carmilla guided them to the back of the large closet, to muffle the sounds Laura was making.

“Thank God I just washed my hand in the kitchen.” Carmilla said while Laura was lost in her sensations. She was having sex with a vampire Carmilla in the middle of a Halloween wedding. It was something that she never knew she needed so much.

Carmilla kissed her again muffling her moans. But it was only when Laura dived face first in her wife’s cleavage, that Carmilla was feeling her own body aching for more contact. But she knew she could not have more than that, and it was okay. Laura was the one who needed that more.

The music was loud outside. And even though “Thriller” is not the best song for a sex act, it was exactly in the middle of it that Laura came hard between coats and hats. Carmilla placed her on the floor and Laura laughed pointing to Carmilla’s face.

“What?”

“You are green too.”

“Really? Well, I can clean that, no biggie.”

Laura gave her a peck. She tried to wipe out some of that paint from Carmilla.

“And you are a little bit white and red.” Carmilla said brushing Laura’s hair in place.

Laura giggled. “You are awesome, my beautiful vampire.”

Carmilla chuckled. “I’m lucky.” She kissed Laura briefly. 

“It’s not like I’m dismissing you after sex but, I think it’s better if you go, Jane will be mad if you disappear for too long.”

“I’m not offended, but are you sure you are going to be okay here by yourself?”

“Yeah. I just need a few minutes to recompose myself.”

“Okay.” Carmilla nodded biting her lower lip. “I’m going to the bathroom first. People may think I was making out with Kirsch or some other green dude.” She stood up.

Laura giggled. “Yeah, that’s a probability. Can you give my headset before you go?”

“Sure.” Carmilla gave her the device forgot on the counter and waved from the door. “Please, don’t stay here for too long.”

“I won’t.” Laura smiled warmly for her and Carmilla finally closed the door.

 

**+++**

 

People was so into the music that they barely have noticed Carmilla making a bee line for the bathroom. It was kind of hard to remove the paint from her face, and she ended up taking her vampire makeup too.

She ran into Lafontaine in her way out. “Where were you? And why your boobs are green?”

Carmilla looked down. “Fuck! Stupid small mirror.” She turned to the bathroom and Lafontaine grabbed her arm.

“Where’s Laura?”

“Why are you asking?”

They scratched the back of their head. “Were you making out or something?”

“Well…”

“You know what? Forget I asked that, just tell me where she is, because I’m calling her in the radio for 5 minutes now and I got no response.”

“Five minutes?” Carmilla frowned. “She is in the coat closet, we were-“

“Don’t want know the details, just… let’s go there, okay?” They pushed Carmilla in the closet direction.

 

Carmilla tried to act cool when she opened the door of the closet. But she was feeling her heart freezing at the sight of Laura still sat on the floor, panting, with her hands propped on her hips.

“What is going on?” Carmilla asked kneeling on the floor. “Contractions?”

Laura just nodded.

“Do you want me to call someone?” Lafontaine said coming behind Carmilla.

“Let’s do the position we learned in class.” Carmilla said taking Laura’s hands.

“Okay.” Laura said standing up.

Carmilla held her waist while Laura was grabbing Carmilla’s shoulder, leaning her weigh on Carmilla. After a few seconds Laura was feeling better again.

“This is the first or the second one after I left?” Carmilla asked.

“The second one.” Laura answered. “The first was 5 minutes ago, I was counting the time.”

“Fuck! This is all my fault, we shouldn’t have sex in here.”

“I didn’t hear that.” Lafontaine said giving a step back.

“Not your fault, really.” Laura said looking a little embarrassed. “But don’t worry, this is just Braxton Hicks contractions, not the labor ones.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, and I need to check the bathrooms again-“

“Forget about the bathrooms, Laura.” Lafontaine said approaching them again. “I think it’s best for you to go home. Or to a hospital.”

“Laf is right, Cupcake. You look too tired and they got it under control, right?” She looked expectantly to her friend.

They nodded. “Totally! We can handle it L, it’s almost done anyway, we only have to serve the cake and there will be some more dancing.”

“Fine. I’ll go. But save me some cake, okay? I’m craving that pumpkin castle since Emily brought it this morning.”

They chuckled while Carmilla was leading Laura to the door. “Got it! Now go while I make sure you’ll get cover.”

“Thanks, Laf.” Laura patted their shoulder.

 

**+++**

 

“Perry is texting me like crazy.” Laura said in the car while Carmilla was driving them home.

“What she wants?”

“To know If I’m fine.” Laura started to tapping an answer. After a moment she winced again, placing her hands on the sides of her belly.

“Another one?” Carmilla asked looking worried, trying her best to keep her eyes on the road. Laura just nodded. 

After two minutes Laura was sighing in relieve, leaning her back again in the seat.

“Laura, don’t you think we should go to the hospital?”

Laura looked up to Carmilla with an annoyed expression “I told you this is not the labor contractions. It’s just a way of my body to prepare for the actual labor.”

“How can you know that?”

“My water haven’t broke yet, the mucus plug is still in place, and this is just like cramps, like menstrual cramps, you know the feeling.”

“Mucus plug?”

“Have you read the books I gave you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember anything about it.”

“It’s this white goo that blocks the cervix to prevent infections. In first pregnancies it is usually released a week or so before the birth. Mine is still in place, so I’m pretty sure this is just a false alarm.”

“Okay.” Carmilla nodded looking at the road again.

After some minutes Laura felt the pain again. Carmilla was gripping the wheel with more force than intended.

“I’m feeling something wet in my panties.” Laura said raising up her head after the pain was over.

“That’s it, we are going to the hospital.” Carmilla said in decided tone.

“No, let’s go home, I’ll go the bathroom and I can see what is going on down here. And I can get rid of this stupid costume.”

“Not going to change my mind, Cupcake.”

“Carm! Even if I’m in labor we have time. Let’s go home we can change our clothes, and bring the bags-“

“You were sure it was only a false alarm, now you don’t know what this is.” She looked briefly to Laura. “I’ll feel a lot better if we just go straight to the hospital.”

“You’ll feel a lot better? What about me? What about what I want?” Laura crossed her arms looking furious to Carmilla.

“I will feel a lot better if you and our son have the best care possible, that’s what I meant, and you know it.”

“It’s going to be a waste of time. But it wouldn’t if you just listen to me. You don’t have to be this overprotective.”

“I’m just being careful, nothing wrong with that.”

“I have to disagree with you.”

 

They went the rest of the way in silence, but the tension in the air was the same. Carmilla parked in the hospital lot and Laura just stayed there with her arms crossed and a huge pout on her face. Carmilla unbuckled her seatbelt, staring at Laura.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Laura said looking straight ahead.

Carmilla sighed. She kept looking at Laura, not moving an inch. And like she imagined, Laura was cringe with pain again. She used the breathing method she learned in parent’s classes and endurance the 2 minutes of intense cramps.

When she was feeling fine again she huffed, getting rid of the seatbelt. “Let’s get over with this.” She opened her door and Carmilla did the same, leaving the car as well.

Laura went to the car trunk and opened it, moving some boxes around. As soon as Carmilla approached her, Laura tossed her a black dressing shirt.

“What is that for?” Carmilla asked looking confused at the shirt.

“You are not going to show half of your boobs to an entire hospital.” Laura closed the trunk and waited with her arms crossed for Carmilla to put the shirt.

“Wonderful moment for you to be jealous.” Carmilla said rolling her eyes and dressing the shirt. 

“I just think people will respect you more if you don’t show up with a stained cleavage while I’m still all painted in green.”

“So this is about you not feeling embarrassed.” She scolded. 

“I didn’t say I wasn’t jealous.” Laura said walking away and hiding her pout. Carmilla was biting her lower lip to disguise a smile.

 

They walked to the ER and Carmilla asked for a wheel chair, making Laura, still pouting, to seat on it. The ER waiting room was crowded. It was Halloween night after all, there was a lot of people with stupid injuries and some past out drunks.

But they didn’t wait for too long, because the OB-GYN wing was like a little oasis inside the hospital. 

“A pregnant Wicked Witch of the West, that’s new.” The nurse who attended Laura said in a very good mood. Laura dropped her pout for a moment and almost smiled.

“What about you?” She asked looking at Carmilla. “I have no idea what you are.”

“I started the night as a vampire, now I’m just the wife of the Wicked Witch.”

The nurse laughed, guiding them through a long hall. “I think it’s kind of late for a Halloween baby, in case you are really in labor, but this can result in a funny story anyway.”

“Hope so.” Carmilla said patting Laura’s shoulder. Laura was not amused.

 

They arrived in a room and the nurse gave Laura a hospital blue gown. When Laura stood up, she launched herself in Carmilla’s shoulder, bending her back with another wave of pain. Carmilla helped holding her.

“Are you okay?” Carmilla asked when Laura was straightening up her back.

“Yeah.” She kept her hands on Carmilla’s shoulder, looking at her wife with an unreadable expression. “I need to pee.”

“Right.” Carmilla nodded taking her hand and walking with Laura to the bathroom.

Laura pulled up her dress and down her panties. When she sat on the toilet she looked at her underwear. “Oh crap!”

“What?”

“I think this is the mucus plug.” Laura showed Carmilla the white goo on her panties. “Probably all of it.”

“Oh.” Carmilla just nodded. “Okay, good thing we are in the hospital, right?”

“Yeah, I think.”

 

Carmilla helped Laura to get totally undressed and to wipe off the green paint from her body. Carmilla also took off her corset, dressing the black shirt again.

The nurse was back when Laura was climbing on the bed.

“I think my mucus plug was released.” Laura said to the nurse.

“But your water didn’t break, did it?”

“I don’t think so.”

The nurse made a thoughtful face. “Let me see the mucus plug. It’s on your underwear?”

Laura blushed. “Yeah.”

“I’ll show it to you.” Carmilla said getting in the bathroom and returning with Laura’s black panties.

“Yep, it did dislodge. All of it, by the amount.” She looked up to Laura. “I’m going to set the monitors, then I’ll call the doctor.”

 

With everything turned on, Laura was feeling overwhelmed by the wires and beeping coming from the hospital machines. Even though the nurse said that the baby seems just fine, she was worried.

A young doctor came through the door introducing himself and looking at the monitors. 

“You are 37 weeks pregnant, Mrs. Karnstein-Hollis?” He said looking at her chart.

“Almost 37 weeks, doctor.”

“The nurse said you just lost your mucus plug and your water didn’t break yet.”

“Right.”

“Let’s see if you have some dilatation.” 

He sat down on a small chair in front of the bed, taking some gloves. He checks Laura’s cervix with his hands.

“You have no dilatation.”

“What that means?” Carmilla asked.

“That she is not in labor.” He took off the gloves tossing it in a garbage can. “But the baby is in the right position, maybe in one or two weeks.”

 

The doctor left after giving some recommendations. Carmilla helped Laura to get dressed again and they went in silence to the car. Laura got a text and her eyes went wide with a picture her father sent to her.

“I can’t believe!” 

“What?”

“Look.” She showed her phone to Carmilla while they were waiting in a red light.

“They TP our house?!” Carmilla huffed. “Those dimwits neighbors!”

“We are going take forever to clean this.” She looked at her phone again. “Well, at least dad is going to help us.”

“You need to rest, let me deal with it.”

“I’m fine. Like I said before, but you didn’t believe in me, obviously. We wasted a lot of time in the hospital.”

“It was not a complete waste of time. You got some medical recommendations, and we are sure the baby is fine too, so I don’t-“

“I was right and you didn’t listen to me.”

Carmilla locked her jaw, making her best to not say anything rude. She knew where that would go to.

“Yeah, you were right.” She said letting out a long sigh.

 

In ten minutes they were reaching their drive way. John Hollis was already pulling out long pieces of toilet paper from their front law. Carmilla decided to discharge her rage in her neighbors prank.

“They really take serious this treat or trick thing in here.” He said with a sympathetic wave to both girls.

“Or they were just fucking bored.” Carmilla said helping Laura to get out of the car.

“I’m going to take a shower.” Laura said a dry tone getting inside the house.

Carmilla just nodded and turned to Mr. Hollis. “Where do I begin?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to change your clothes, kid? This is going to take a while and those boots seems uncomfortable.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” Carmilla started to take the paper from the tree he was working on.

“Toss it directly in the garbage bag, or this mess will have no end.” He recommended.

“Sure.” Carmilla got a plastic bag and did the same as her father in law.

 

After some minutes working on the mess, Mr. Hollis cleaned his throat approaching Carmilla.

“Is everything okay with you and Laura?”

“Yeah. Kind of.” Carmilla shrugged. “She was having some contractions and I was worried so I drove us to the hospital, but she was sure it was nothing.”

“And what happened?”

“She was right. It was a false alarm, but I was really scared it could be the labor.”

“And she gave you a hard time about it.”

“Well, you know your daughter.”

“Don’t be afraid to tell her how you feel, kid. Laura is stubborn, but you are allowed to be worried about her. You are her wife after all, right?”

“I don’t want her to be mad at me for been overprotective.”

“I understand you.” He patted her back. “You know what? It’s late, we can continue this tomorrow, and it doesn’t seem it’s going to rain, so I think it’s better if we called the night.”

Carmilla looked a little unsure. “If you say so.” She tossed one last piece of paper in the bag.

“Yeah, it will be better, kid.”

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla entered the bedroom with a plastic container on her hand. Laura was laid on the bed with a book in front of her face.

“Laf just drop by to give you this.” She set the container on the Laura’s nightstand. “It’s the wedding cake.”

“Thanks.” Laura said looking up from her book for a second.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

Laura just nodded and Carmilla went to the bathroom.

When Carmilla returned, Laura was sleeping in the dark room. The cake container was not that anymore. Carmilla dressed in her PJs and laid by Laura’s side, eventually falling in a deep sleep.

 

**+++**

 

In the morning Carmilla woke up with Laura looking guilty at her.

“Hey.” Laura said as soon as Carmilla opened her eyes.

“Creepy much?” Carmilla said in a very husky voice, blinking and looking better at Laura.

Laura was about to say something when she heard a sound coming from her front lawn. She climb out of the bed and looked up to the window by her bed. She saw Mr. Hollis picking up more toilet paper.

“My dad is here cleaning the yard again.” She looked back to Carmilla and crawled on the bed. “You don’t look good.”

“I’m just a little under the weather.” Carmilla shrugged.

Laura touched Carmilla’s forehead with her palm. “You don’t seem hot.”

“I think it’s just a cold.”

“Oh.” Laura nodded removing her hand. “Maybe it would be better if I keep some distance.”

“Yeah, that would be very wise.” Carmilla sneezed and Laura got a tissue for her. “Thanks.”

Carmilla blew her nose and Laura got off of the bed completely. “I’m going to prepare breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Well, you need to have something, or you’ll be worst.”

“I don’t feel like eating anything.” Carmilla rolled in the bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

“Maybe some cereal? Or tea?”

“I think I can have some tea.”

“Okay.” Laura walked to the door, then she turned to look at Carmilla again. “Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Carmilla said closing her eyes.

Laura took a last look at her and closed the door.

“I hope.” Carmilla said under her breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Tumbltr: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


	34. The Oasis and the Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tension between Laura and Carmilla is still lingering in the air. And a package that Laura receives in her work can make her see Carmilla in a new light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end it's closer and it's begins here.

**Chapter 34 – The Oasis and the Island**

 

“Carm?” Laura said shaking Carmilla by her shoulder.

“Huh?” Carmilla opened her eyes slowly. Laura was standing by her side with a tray in hand.

“I brought you some tea. And cake.”

Carmilla sat up, brushing her eyes. “I don’t think I can eat anything.”

“Have at least a tiny bit, Carm. This cake is so good, you should try it.” Laura placed the tray over Carmilla’s lap.

Carmilla mumbled something and took the cup of tea, drinking a bit. She also ate a small part of the cake.

“It’s good, but I can’t have anymore.” She took another sip of the tea.

Laura felt her temperature again, it was normal, but Carmilla really looked awful.

“I called my doctor, he said it was better for me to sleep in another room, okay? I don’t think is just a cold. You probably have the flu.”

Carmilla looked like someone had kicked a puppy.

“No. No, Cupcake, you can sleep in here with your pillows, I’ll be okay in a mattress in the office. It’s big enough.”

“I won’t let you sleep on the floor. And the bathroom is much closer in here. You are sick.”

“And you are pregnant. Very pregnant.”

Laura twisted her lips looking around them. “Maybe we can place the mattress in here.” Laura took her phone. “I’ll talk to Dr. Collins again.”

 

After a few minutes and a lot of questions, the doctor said to Laura that Carmilla could share the same room with her, but not the same towels or clothes. Mr. Hollis helped placing the mattress on their bedroom and he also took the sheets from the bed to cover the mattress, helping Laura to set new ones on the bed.

Perry and Lafontaine went to visit on the afternoon. Perry brought a soup for Carmilla and Lafontaine made her company for a while, talking about the Halloween wedding.

“You look like shit, Vampira.” They said after the last joke about Kirsch.

“I feel like shit, so I could not possible look like anything else.”

“And clearly there are problems in paradise.”

“How can people know these things?” She snorted. 

“Because you’re not looking at each other like two gross teenagers.”

“That obvious, huh?”

“You were never subtle.”

Carmilla ran her fingers on her hair. “It’s because of the false alarm of yesterday. She wanted to go home but I took her to the hospital anyway.”

“Ouch!” They chuckled humorlessly. “Laura is not a fan of people telling her what to do.”

“Yeah, tell me about it.” She rolled her eyes taking a tissue to blow her nose. “I’ve always been supportive of her decisions, but when her health is at stake, I don’t give a damn if she will be mad at me.”

“I get you, and I wish I could say something helpful to you, but I got nothing.”

“Well, thanks for nothing.” Carmilla said throwing her dirty tissue on her friend.

“Ew! You are a horrible friend.” They threw the tissue back to Carmilla.

“Back at too, geek lab.”

“Well, I got to go. I think it was time enough for them to gossip about us.”

“Like we were not doing the same.” Carmilla sighed. “Thank Perry for me, would you?”

“Sure.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura returned after saying goodbye to Lafontaine and Perry. She found Carmilla curled up under the covers. “So, how are you feeling?”

“The same.” Carmilla said not moving to look at Laura.

“Did you like Perry’s soup?”

“Yeah. I didn’t take much though, but it was good.”

“She said the wedding went well in the end.”

Carmilla looked up to her briefly “Good.”

“And the toilet paper is gone. Perry helped and Laf helped us too.”

“That’s good too.”

Laura nodded. “Do you want anything? A book, or maybe the computer?”

Carmilla sighed, moving to stand up “I just need a shower.”

“Let me help you.” Laura was approaching with extended arms.

“It’s better if you don’t touch me, Laura.” Carmilla said taking a few steps to the bathroom, gesturing for Laura to stop.

Laura dropped her arms looking worried at Carmilla getting inside of the bathroom. She was pacing in front of the bathroom door paying attention to every sound that came from there.

 

After listening to a thud and Carmilla cursing, she was opening the bathroom door in the next second.

“Are you okay?” She saw Carmilla sat in a weird way on the toilet with her pants half way down.

“Yeah, I just felt a little dizzy.”

Laura approached her, pulling Carmilla to sit straight. Once Carmilla was in place, Laura hutched down taking off her pants. Carmilla was about to say something when Laura interrupted her.

“Just try not to sneeze on my face and I’ll be fine.”

Carmilla gave her a discreet nod and Laura helped her with her panties, then her shirt. She leaded Carmilla to the tub and started to fill it. She looked at the draws on Carmilla’s back and timidly smiled to herself.

“I can take it from here.” Carmilla said looking up to her.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping you more.”

“If I sneeze inside of this tub, I’m sure you will breathe every bit of it.”

Laura sighed. “I think you are right.” She stood up. “But if you feel bad again or need anything, please call me, okay?”

“I will. Now go, I think there is another one coming.”

Laura left quickly hearing the loud sneeze right after she closed the door. She laid in bed tense, paying attention to the sounds on the bathroom again.

 

Carmilla took forever to appear dressed in a fluffy white robe, leaning on the walls to make her way to the mattress.

She dropped herself on the mattress, pulling the covers up to her chin.

“Don’t you think it’s better if you wear your PJs?” Laura asked with a soft voice.

“I always wear a robe when I’m sick. Not very comfortable, but it’s practical.”

“Practical?” Her voice was turning loud. “Well, you’re not alone this time, I can help you, I’m sure I can avoid your sneezes while I get you dressed.”

“It’s not necessary.”

“Carm! Don’t be stubborn, let me help you.”

“You can’t be sick, Laura. You know that.”

“Stop calling me Laura!” She screamed clenching her hands into fists.

 

Carmilla just kept looking at Laura with her tired demeanor not saying a thing. After some seconds Laura sat down on the edge of the bed across from where Carmilla’s mattress was settled.

“Are you doing that just because you want to make me prove of my own medicine? Or are you trying to make me feel bad because I said you were overprotective?”

Carmilla was measuring her next words. It was a hard thing to do in her current state. But she did it anyway. “Sweetheart, I can’t barely stand on my feet. I feel like shit.” She breathed in and out. “I can guarantee you I’m not plotting any vendetta against you.”

“So why you don’t let me help you?”

Carmilla sighed. “You know why.”

Laura snorted. “Suit yourself.” She stood up going to the closet to change her clothes.

When she returned, Carmilla was turned to the other side on the mattress, facing the wall. She furrowed her brows, making herself comfortable on the bed. But somehow, it was almost impossible.

 

**+++**

 

 **Laura (8:32a.m.)** I left you breakfast in a tray by the mattress. I’m dealing with some clients in the office. Text me if you need anything

 **Carmilla (10:07a.m.)** Thanks. I’m not hungry yet but I took some tea

 **Laura (12:05p.m.)** Kirsch is going to bring you lunch. I’ll probably be home by 6, and I’ll bring you dinner

 **Carmilla (12:06p.m.)** OK

 **Laura (5:55p.m.)** I won’t make it for dinner time, but Perry is dropping with some soup. Hope you are feeling better 

**Carmilla (6:20p.m.)** I was sleeping, but it’s ok

 

**+++**

 

“How are you feeling, Carmilla?” Perry asked entering the bedroom with a bowl filled with soup.

“I bit better.” Carmilla said siting up.

Perry removed the leftovers from lunch on the tray and placed it over Carmilla’s lap with the soup she made.

“Thanks.” 

“No problem.” Perry gave her a smile and stood up. She started to make the bed that was still a mess after Laura left in the morning.

Carmilla was taking some of the soup, looking at Perry all animated. “Why do you like cleaning so much?”

“Because a clean place is a happy place.” Perry answered keeping her hands occupied.

“Not always.” 

Perry looked up to her. “Well, that can be the case sometimes, but it’s not a reason for me to stop trying.”

 

Carmilla pushed the try to the side and leaned her back in the pillows propped in the dresser behind the mattress.

“Your soup is really good.”

Perry approached her looking at the bowl. “You barely ate, Carmilla. Don’t you want to push a little and have some more?”

“No. I’m alright. Thanks.”

Perry took the tray and scanned the room, looking for more things to be clean.

“Do you need anything else, Carmilla?”

“No.”

“Do you have all the meds you need?”

“Yes.”

“Have you showered today?”

“No.”

She hummed. “I can help you with that, come on.” She placed the tray over the dresser and looked around again. “Where are your clothes?”

“Are you sure you want to help me with that?” 

“Well, I’ve practically seeing you naked, nothing new there, unless you would feel uncomfortable or shy?” She twisted her face. “I don’t think you are shy, but…” She shrugged.

“Maybe Laura would be mad or jealous.” Carmilla let out a frustrated breath. “She is quite jealous sometimes.”

“Oh no, Laura won’t mind, sweetie. I know I shouldn’t say that, but she actually asked me to help you with that.”

“Yeah?”

Perry nodded. “So, your clothes?”

 

After getting Carmilla’s clothes and helping her to get undressed, Perry helped her to enter the bathtub. She sat on the covered toilet and read a magazine while Carmilla was bathing herself.

“Did Laura say anything else?” Carmilla asked.

“About what?”

“Me.”

Perry let down the magazine and looked at Carmilla. “Well, she is kind of upset.”

“Kind of?”

Perry reconsidered. “A lot.” She raised her shoulders. “We have all been there, sweetheart, don’t worry. Laura will come around.”

“That’s not the problem.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think she is expecting me to be something that I’m not.”

“And what exactly is that?” 

“I’m not sure yet.”

 

**+++**

 

When Laura was finally at home, Carmilla was asleep. She was carrying a brand new book with her. She took a shower and spent the next hours reading the whole thing through and through. If it wasn’t for the nap she took in the afternoon at the office, she would never have made that reading.

 

Carmilla woke up a little early in her usual schedule routine. It was 10 in the morning and she found odd that Laura was still sleeping. She was feeling so much better, the flu had finalized left her. It was good to be feeling hungry again. She adjusted the covers on Laura and gazed her for a moment. She took a long breath and went down stairs.

 

Hours later, Laura was awaking from her much needed sleep. She looked down to the empty mattress, then to the drawer of her nightstand. She opened it up and took out the book she was reading all night long. The words on the cover were staring back at her. “The Oasis And The Island – by Carmilla Karnstein-Hollis.” She changed her PJs for some yoga pants and a T-shirt, going down the stars, looking for Carmilla. She was in the kitchen, placing some dishes in the dishwasher.

 

Laura opened the book and started to read a passage, making Carmilla to turn to her slowly.

“Maybe only the universe can explain things like that. I’m an island isolated from the rest of the world, where people like to hang out for a while. She is an oasis in the middle of the desert, a happy and wonderful place that nobody wants to leave. Somehow we managed to cross paths, and I don’t know what we are now. All I know is that I don’t want to be that simple piece of land in the middle of the ocean anymore.”

Laura looked up to Carmilla again, seeing her eyes watering. Carmilla was leaned on the kitchen island, her hands fidgeting the surface. Laura leafed through the book, stopping in another page she had marked.

“It’s like she has been with me my whole life, but in reality we know each other for months. I barely remember how my life was before her. And I don’t really care about that one bit.” 

Laura looked up at Carmilla again. “You wrote this book for me?”

Carmilla nodded, cleaning her throat before she could speak. “When did you get it?”

“Yesterday.”

“Did you read it?” Laura nodded. “Everything?” Laura nodded again.

Carmilla wiped the tear that was rolling from her eyes with the back of her hand, she looked down to her hands. “I…I kind of…” 

Laura approached her. “I loved it.”

“Really?” Carmilla opened a sad smile, staring at Laura again. “This is good.”

Laura sighed “Stop being polite with me, Carm. I’m not going to break.” She said in a very gentle tone.

Carmilla started to cry.

“I know you are still upset.” Laura said taking another step towards Carmilla. “Please, talk to me.”

“I don’t want to fight.” Carmilla shook her head. “We can’t fight.”

“Yes, we can.” Laura gave another step and Carmilla was crashing in her arms with loud sobs.

Laura was feeling her heart heavier with every whimper of Carmilla. She started to cry too.

 

They kept holding each other for long minutes, feeling some comfort with the warmth that was irradiating from their embrace. They released the hug enough to be possible to look at each other. Laura tangled her hands in Carmilla’s hair, brushing some loose locks.

“I love you so much.” Laura said with her trembled voice.

“I love you too, Cupcake.” Carmilla said back. The nickname made Laura to smile again. “I can’t help be protective of you. I just can’t.” Carmilla justified, raising her shoulders.

Laura hugged her again. “I’m sorry, Carm.” She said burying her face on the crook of Carmilla’s neck. “I know you meant well, and I wanted to apologize before, but I…” She looked up to Carmilla. “I’m always afraid to be taken for granted, like it happened in the past. I know you are different and that you’ve never suffocated me, ever. But those things don’t go easily.”

Carmilla retrieved one hand from Laura’s back and brushed her cheek. She smiled for the first time in the last 2 days and pulled Laura’s jaw gently. She pecked a small kiss on Laura’s lips, then in the tears falling from her eyes, placing more kisses on her cheeks and back to her mouth. She opened her eyes looking at Laura for a second before touching her lips again with a passionate kiss.

Laura giggled breaking the kiss. “I missed you.”

Carmilla smiled again still caressing Laura’s cheek. “And I missed you this much.” Carmilla kissed her again, taking Laura’s breath away.

 

After more kisses and hugs, Carmilla prepared breakfast to Laura. After having some pancakes and eggs, Laura was kissing Carmilla again.

“Come here.” She said taking Carmilla’s hand and pulling her to the living room.

“What are you doing, Cupcake?”

Laura pushed her to the couch and sat down by her side. “I own you something.” She kissed Carmilla again, sneaking her hand inside Carmilla’s pants. “And I also missed this so much too.”

“Wait, Laura.”

The name made Laura to retrieve her hand from Carmilla, putting some distance between their faces.

“You’re not ready for that yet, sorry.” She said apologetic and a bit embarrassed.

“It’s not that.” Carmilla bit her lower lip looking nervous. “I… I’m a little bit afraid to have sex with you.”

Laura chuckled. “Don’t be. I’m okay. Contractions will happen with or without sex, it’s not your fault.” She kissed Carmilla as a way to reassure her.

Carmilla took a deep breath after Laura was retrieving from her lips again. “Let me refrain what I just said.” She cleaned her throat. “I’m terrified to have sex with you.”

Laura raised her brows. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” She looked uneasy. She decided to put all cards on the table.

“I kind of noticed that. Lately, anyway.”

Carmilla shook her head. “I’m clearly not very good at disguising my feelings from you.”

“No, you’re not.” She chuckled briefly. “But I understand you. I think that if you were the one pregnant, I would be so lost.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m afraid to hurt you, or him, that’s all. And every day it’s getting worse.” She sighed. “You have a tiny human being growing up inside of you.” She looked more serious. “A tiny human that I love so much.”

Laura opened up a warm smile. “Let’s take things slow, okay? If you think you will hurt me, just say so. I won’t be mad, I promise.”

Carmilla smiled. “Okay.”

Laura wrapped her arms around Carmilla, pulling her for another lingering kiss. “And don’t worry for now, because this is all about you.”

Carmilla kissed her again and Laura’s hand was making its way again inside Carmilla pants. She could not be more grateful.

 

**+++**

 

The week has passed fast. Carmilla was having a meeting with her publishers on Friday, when Laura returned to the office again, to deal with some of her clients. She needed to explain to them about her eminent maternity leave. The next Saturday would be a wedding free day and everybody at the company was happy about it. Even J.P. was getting used to the crazy routine.

“Laura, there is a client on the phone asking for a meet tomorrow.” J.P. said approaching Laura’s table. “Can you have them? They are the Halls, a lesbian couple, they said you’ve talked to them 2 months ago at the Wedding-Con.”

Laura looked up to him. “I do remember them, such a cute couple! But tomorrow? I don’t know…” She looked at her phone calendar. “Tomorrow is the 7th, right?”

“Yeah, November 7th.” 

“Oh, crap!” Laura grabbed J.P.’s arm, standing up from her chair. “Oh, crap, crap, crap!”

“What is so bad about November 7th?” He said with a confused look.

Laura was pacing around the small area of the desks. Perry came closer, noticing Laura’s desperation.

“What is wrong, sweetie?”

Laura looked with knit brows to Perry, then to J.P. “Not tomorrow, J.P. Not tomorrow, tell them any other day except tomorrow.”

“Okay.” He nodded quickly and ran to the desk he was sharing with Lafontaine.

Laura looked to Perry, fidgeting with her hands on the cellphone. “Tomorrow is Carmilla’s birthday and I completely forgot about it.”

“Easy, sweetie, we have time. Breathe.” Perry placed her hands on Laura’s shoulder, making her best friend a little calm. 

“It’s too late for a party, and I didn’t get her anything.” She looked at her phone. “Maybe I can go to the mall and I can buy some book for her, I don’t know.” She looked back to Perry. “Not a book, that’s a lame birthday present-“

“Laura, breathe again.” Perry ordered again and Laura complied. “We can do something about it, I’m sure.”

“Like what? It’s 3 o’clock, most of the stores will be closed in 2 or 3 hours. And it’s Friday!”

“We are not planning a wedding, sweetheart, I’m sure we can manage a surprise party for her.”

“A surprise party?”

“Yes! We can all go and you can call some of her friends and your father. We can buy everything we need an in supermarket, don’t worry, we got this.”

“You’re saving my life, Perry.” Laura hugged her friend tightly. “And my marriage. What kind of person forgets her wife’s birthday?”

“You have a lot on your plate, Laura. Nobody would blame you. I’m sure Carmilla wouldn’t too.”

“No, she wouldn’t.”

 

**+++**

 

Even though Carmilla already had a contract with the publisher, she was nervous about the meeting. They gave her time to develop something new, but she was still unsure about the new series she was working on.

“I have a different proposition.” She said to Mark, one of the sales director. 

“I’m all ears.” He said leaning on his chair.

“What if we make a last Mircalla’s Night book and then we can launch the new series? I think there are still some things to wrap up in Mircalla’s.”

“That could work. We need something for September, 2016. That means that you need to send Anna your first draft in 2 months, do you think you can pull that off?”

“Yes, I totally can.” She said confident.

“Alright.” He talked to Anna, the editor, for a quick moment, then turned to Carmilla again. “Do you still want to keep your identity private? We wanted to schedule a book tour within the release of your first book with us. It would be a great marketing strategy.”

“I’m sure of that, but I haven’t change my mind. I want to be a professor, and I don’t think people, well especially the students, would respect me if they knew of this ’side job’.”

“Well, I had to try.” He laughed. “Oh, I wanted to ask something else. Do you have anything in the works, besides the Mircalla’s last book? Maybe we could release something with your name and face on it, like a more ordinary romance?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe you won’t like this, but I see a good potential in you as a romantic writer. And Anna agrees with me.”

The editor nodded and added. “That book, ‘The Distance Between Two Hearts’, it’s like a rough diamond. I’m sure that, if you pushed yourself a little harder, you could deliver a sparkling and perfect gem. Do you know what I mean?”

“Me, a romantic writer?” She scoffed. “You clearly have too high expectations for me.”

Mark inclined himself on the table again. “See, I knew you would reject that idea. But, just listen to me: it’s not just about your writing. You are a very beautiful woman, do you know how much that helps with publicity too?” Carmilla just shrugged. “More than you can ever imagine.”

“So you want to sell my image as a writer, not my skills.” Carmilla said a little irritated.

“I didn’t say that. I’m being realistic, Carmilla. A good book will sell a lot. But a good book with a pretty face attached to it will break records.”

Carmilla made a snark noise.

“Don’t you want earn more money?” He said like the answer was an obvious yes.

“Not that way. And I don’t have anything like that for you.”

“Alright.” He nodded. “But if you change your mind, just call me.”

“I’m sure I won’t.”

 

**+++**

 

Laura arrived at home exhausted and late. Carmilla have made dinner for them an hour before and Laura was apologizing in the same minute she step in the house.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She said plopping down on the couch where Carmilla was sat with a book on her lap.

“It’s okay.” Carmilla gave her a discreet smile.

Laura pulled her face to give her several kisses.

“Stop being so nice, it’s not.” She gave her another kiss. “Yeah, I have just one more meeting and then I’m totally on maternity leave.”

“You better be.” Carmilla said in a faux mad tone, giving Laura another kiss. “Come on, I’m going to heat it for you.”

“You’re like the best wife in the whole wide world.” 

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

Carmilla chuckled. “Come on.”

 

While Carmilla was making their plates she was telling to Laura all about her meeting.

“What they thought about your spy series? Did they like it?”

“Well I didn’t exactly talk about it yet.”

“Why not?”

“I think it’s better to finish Mircalla series first, I still have some drafts and cutouts from the previous books I can use. But I’m not sure about the spy one.”

“Why not? That’s a fantastic idea.”

“Well, to be honest I don’t know if can do it again. I’m not the same person anymore.” She made a goofy face. “Obviously I’m not going to have adventures with strangers to have something to write about.”

Laura laughed. “Yeah, clearly you won’t, but you can just use your imagination. I’m sure a lot of writers made up a lot of things. You said yourself you did that too.”

“Yes, but this not the only problem. There will be some action, and mysteries, I don’t want sex to be the most important thing, just a part of it.”

”Do you think your readers will be into that? I’m not talking about myself, I love what you’ve wrote so far, but I’m kind of biased.”

“Well, I was reading some reviews and people liked Mircalla’s side story, not just her sex adventures.”

“If you have some writer’s block while writing the sex scenes, I can help you with some ideas.” She made a mischievous smile. “We can even practice some of them, just for writing purpose, of course."

Carmilla chuckled. “Sure, just for writing purpose.” She sighed. “Well, at least this is better than the suggestion Mark, the sales director, gave to me.”

“What suggestion?”

“To write a romantic novel like ‘The Distance’”.

“I think it’s a good idea! And you just did it.”

“Are you talking about the book I wrote for you?”

“Yes, of course! I know this is not really a novel, but the romantic part is just perfect.”

“It might look perfect for you because it’s real, it’s about us. But fiction is something else entirely different.” She set the plates over the counter.

“So, rewrite it.” Laura said like it was obvious, taking some of her food. “This taste amazing!”

“Oh, no!” Laura looked confused at her. “I’m talking about the book, I made that for you and only you, I don’t intent to share it with the rest of the world. It’s too personal.”

“Okay.” Laura sighed looking at her plate again. “But we are definitely working together in the spy series.”

Carmilla started to eat too. “If you really want, it’s fine by me. You can even have your name on the cover.”

“Oh no, thanks!” She chuckled. “I’m happy just being a silent partner in that. Well, not literally silent, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, being silent it’s not really something you are known for.”

Laura stuck her tongue out, making a frown. Carmilla just laughed.

 

**+++**

 

After dinner Laura took a bath and threw herself in the bed. It wasn’t so late, but she was tired. But not tired enough to keep her from kissing Carmilla by her side. She started with her shoulder, then raised to her collarbone. Carmilla was reading a book, with her back leaned on the headboard. She side eyed Laura, giggling when Laura was reaching her neck.

“Someone is in a sassy mood” She said closing the book and placing it on the nightstand.

Laura was now spreading her palm on Carmilla’s stomach under the shirt, drawing small circles on her skin. She rose a little more, reaching Carmilla’s lips and kissing them slowly. Carmilla was moaning with the welcoming sensations, making Laura to desire her even more.

She retrieved her lips from Carmilla, turning on the bed and sitting on her wife’s lap, placing her knees in each side of Carmilla. She tangled her hands on Carmilla’s hair, pulling her for another kiss. Carmilla was gently brushing her flanks, pulling up a bit Laura’s tank top, sliding her fingers under the fabric. Laura gave Carmilla’s mouth a break, moving to her cheeks and jaw. She lightly bit Carmilla’s jaw, making her to moan again.

Laura bit a little harder and Carmilla let out a louder moan. She pulled Laura’s lips back to her own, enough for her to start to descend Laura’s neck, tracing more kisses until she touched her breasts. 

She did the same Laura did in the coat closet, burying her face between her boobs, breathing her delicate incent, lightly scratching the skin with her teeth. She smiled hearing the sounds Laura was producing. But then an odd sensation was taking her attention off from the make out session.

“Cupcake?”

“Yeah.”

Carmilla looked up with a raised brow. “Or you are very happy to kiss me, or your water just broke.”

“What?” Laura looked down to her. “My water didn’t break, Carm.”

“You are kind of leaking on me.” Carmilla said with a playful high pitch voice.

“No, I’m not.” Laura furrowed her brows. “Am I?”

She remained still for a moment. Her eyes were widening. “I think I am.”

She looked in panic, still froze in place.

“Maybe if you get out of my lap we can see what is going on down there.” Carmilla said still keeping her good mood.

“Yeah.” Laura nodded. “Yeah.” She nodded again, moving to the side with the help of Carmilla.

Carmilla saw the wet spot on her shorts and Laura was climbing out of the bed.

“I’m soaking wet” she said after the first step on the floor, going to the bathroom.

Carmilla climbed out of the bed too, following her.

 

Laura pulled down her pants, sitting on the toilet. Her pants and panties were dripping.

“It’s coming kind of slow, and I…” She stared at Carmilla. “I can’t control it, it’s not like pee, it’s like I’m literally leaking.” She looked at Carmilla’s shorts. “I totally got you wet too, I’m sorry.”

Carmilla chuckled. “It’s not your fault, you don’t have to apologize.”

“I know but…” Laura was scratching her head, confused.

“So, this is it, right?” Carmilla was propping her palms on her waist, way calmer than Laura. “There is no coming back from this, you are in labor.”

“I thought I had another week or two.” Laura said still in shock.

“Clearly not.” Carmilla chuckled again. “Well, I think I’m going to spend my birthday in the hospital, huh?” She crossed her arms, shrugging.

“Your birthday, oh crap!” Laura smashed her face.

“It’s not the moment to care about that, Cupcake.” She hunched down, placing a lock behind Laura’s ear. “I kind of imagined you would forget, with everything that was happening.”

“No, I didn’t forget.” She ruffed. “Well, I did, but then I remembered, and I planned a surprised party for you. But now is kind of ruined.”

“Laura, don’t worry, nothing is ruined.” She caressed her cheeks, pulling her face up to look at her. “We are going to have a baby.”

“Yes, we are.” Laura said with a soft voice, the information finally sink in her mind. “We are.” She smiled timidly. “Riley is coming.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all have a great Friday :)
> 
> My Tumblr: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


	35. Infinity is a Great Place to Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura is in labor. Riley is coming, but not without some angst!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all to have a great holiday today!  
> Here some Hollstein for you, see you again soon!

**Chapter 35 – Infinity is a Great Place to Start**

 

 

**November 6th, 8:35 p.m.**

 

I have no idea why I’m so calm. Seriously. The first time Laura had a contraction I was in panic, totally lost with my own fears and insecurities. But Laura was a perfect pond of calmness, making her best to go through that and to reassure me that everything was fine. And she was right, it was fine. But sometimes I have no chill at all.

 

The first time we had a labor scare, she was calm again. Not exactly like before, but she was confident. Me, on the other hand, was freaking out like one those fucking moron parents we saw in those labor videos.

 

But now, it’s totally different, for a reason I can’t explain. Now that the labor is about to happen, I feel this incredible peace. But Laura, on the other hand, well…

 

“Carm, did you check the bags like I asked yesterday?” She is pacing around the room grabbing random things and tossing them inside of a new bag.

“Cupcake, come here.” I grab her hand and pull her to me. I wrap my arm around her, bringing her closer to me. She still making an adorable worried face, with her eyebrows frowning since she said for the third time that Riley is coming. “What is the first thing we need to do now?”

She furrows her brows deeper “Take a shower? No, I just did it, and so you.”

“Wait for the contractions and to count them.” 

“Right!” She nods. “And then what? Maybe it’s better if I call my doctor.” 

She is turning to grab her phone on the nightstand and I pull her again, burring my face on her shoulder. 

“You need to relax too.” I take a deep breath placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. “Things will be easier and better, right? For the two of you”. I raise my head looking at her eyes. “And especially for me, of course.”

She giggles and for the first time, since she realized her water was broke, she is actually relaxing. I kiss her a little more, rocking her on my arms. And this is when the first contraction comes. It lasts 30 seconds, and she says she is fine and this is definitely different from the ones she was getting before.

 

She calls her doctor and he says to her to wait a little longer to go the hospital, until the contractions are 5 minutes apart. Since it’s night, around 8 o’clock, he told her to try to get some sleep to save up her energies. This is a marathon, not a sprint, he remembered her.

 

“I don’t think that’s possible.” Laura says fidgeting in the bed.

“Is he moving?” I ask touching her belly.

“Yes, he is. Which is a good sign, but also makes it hard for me to sleep.”

“Okay, come here.” I lean my back on the bed headboard and spread my legs, pulling Laura to me. “I’ll give you a massage.”

And this is helpful, I can tell. After the Halloween storm, I made sure to read the book about the 3 stages of labor, and I’m so glad I did it. Laura did read that too, but it was a long time ago, she probably forgot most of it. So, this is the first phase of first stage, also the longest. Her cervix needs to dilate to 3 centimeters, which will happen in the next 8 or 12 hours, hopefully.

 

As a part of her support system, I need to make sure she is calm. Distract her a bit is also very helpful. Also I need to keep count of her contractions and to offer her water and food. It would be perfect if she could get some sleep, but I’m not seeing that happening any time soon.

 

After 30 minutes of the first contraction she is getting the second. 

“How the second one went?” I ask with her between my arms.

“Like the first. It’s like a menstrual cramp in my back, and there is this pain around my pelvic bone. But very bearable.”

“Good, this is good.” I kiss her temple and she is sighing.

“Yeah, I think it is.” I can hear her voice getting softer. Soon she will sleep, can’t believe. She didn’t have much sleep today because of my surprise party. Those things are really overrated.

 

For a whole half hour Laura was sleeping. She was awake by the third contraction and the consequent need to go to the bathroom. In the last 2 hours that’s basically what happened. She sleeps, then she gets a contraction and she sleeps again between my arms. But after the 6th contraction she can’t have it anymore. We go downstairs and I try to prepare her something to eat.

 

 

**November 6th, 10:40 p.m.**

 

“What about mac and cheese?” I ask looking at our pantry. We were so busy this week that we forgot about the grocery shopping.

“I don’t know.” She is sat on the small table by the kitchen island, where we usually have breakfast. She is clearly annoyed by her lack of sleep.

“We have some vegetables, I can make you a soup.”

She frowns like I mentioned something really gross. “Definitely no.”

“Alright….” I’m scooping beyond the cereal boxes, but I can’t see anything worth of cooking. “What about a fruit salad? I remember we have some apples, grapes, orang-“

“Seriously, Carmilla? Fruits?! Do you even know me?”

“You said yourself you wanted something health, that’s what offering you, baby.”

She ruffs. “So I’ll have the mac and cheese, whatever.”

“The least health of all of them…” I grab the package, and put some water to boil.

 

Laura is playing with the tips of her hair locks. I walk to the living room, reaching our brand new stereo. We never turned on this thing before, might as well make a good use of it now. I try to find some upbeat song that doesn’t make me want to rip my ears off, which is apparently a mission impossible. Finally I find a Katy Perry song where she repeats something about California girls, this might makes Laura happy.

“What is going on?” She asks with a suspicious brow raised. I don’t say anything, I just grab her hand, leading her to the space between the kitchen and the living room, so I can see if the water starts to boil.

“Come on and some fun with a California girl.” I say to her using a very sexy voice and giving her a suggestive wink. She is smiling again.

“Didn’t know you were a fan of Katy Perry.” She says while I’m shaking her arms, up and down with the rhythm of the music.

I’m jumping like a dork, ignoring her insinuations. I’m definitely not a fan of Katy Perry, but can’t deny that some of her songs are fun. Well, sort of.

 

Laura is laughing and I’m sure that she is not thinking about the labor in this moment. We dance a little more, until the song is over and some mellow one plays in its place. Before Laura can react to the change, I pull her closer to me, bringing her hands to rest on my nape. She is still smiling while I wrap my arms around her, giving some steps to this weird dance I just invented.

She is just looking at me with the goofiest smile, while I move our bodies to the left, then to the right.

“We should dance more.” I say to her.

“I agree.” She giggles, resting her head on my chest. I can feel her taking a deep breath, following my lead.

“Carm?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for being here with me.”

I chuckled. “Well, where else would I be, Cupcake?”

She raises her head looking at me again. “I mean in my life in general, not just in this specific moment.”

“Oh.” I smile to her. “I’m grateful for that too.”

She turns her head slightly to the right. “Carm, the water.” 

“Of course.” I give a quick kiss to the tip of her nose and I run to the stove.

 

Luckily there is still enough water for her very poorly vitaminized pasta. It doesn’t take long for another contraction to come, a little bit more intense than the previous one. She is taking it like a champion and I hope I can continue to be her efficient support system to the rest of this marathon.

 

 

**November 6th, 11:58 p.m.**

 

“Carm, in two minutes it will be your birthday.” Laura says looking at her phone.

“Can you not look at your phone every 2 minutes while we are watching TV?”

She is twitching on my lap over the couch. I’m trying to distract her from my birthday because I can’t have any more of this pity party about my surprise party.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to have your birthday party.” She whines, looking at me with puppy eyes.

“How many times I have to say to you it’s not a big deal?”

“If Riley born on the same day of your birthday that would be great, huh?” Suddenly her puppy sad face is gone and she is smiling again. Well, that’s a good change. For now.

“Yeah, that would be great. I think.” 

“You think?” She looks serious again. That was fast.

“I don’t mind at all sharing my birthday with him, actually would be great. But we don’t know if he would like that too. Especially when he gets older and starts to hate us.”

She slaps my thigh. “What a mean thing to say.”

“I’m just being realistic. Teenagers are evil.”

“I refuse to believe in that. Not our baby.”

“I can’t say that for myself, because I didn’t have the chance to hate my parents, but you, sweetheart, kind of did, with your father at least.”

“In the first place, I didn’t hate my father, I just got very mad at him. And in the second place, he had it coming, my father was impossible, and intrusive, and-“

“Alright, alright, I’m sure our son will be a magic being of kindness, don’t worry.” I kiss her temple and Laura is pouting.

 

She is about to look at her phone when another contraction hits her. It last 40 seconds, according to my phone. She is panting a little and I’m brushing her hair from her face. She grabs her phone again, looking happily at me after unlocking her screen.

“Carm, it’s your birthday!” She turns on my lap, pulling my face to her. “Happy birthday, my broody wife!” 

I don’t have time to say anything in return, because she is kissing me. It’s one hell of a kiss.

“We need to do something.” She says getting out of my lap and walking to the kitchen.

I’m still a little dazzled by her kiss to do something. When I reach her in the kitchen she is with her head stuck inside of the fridge.

“Where are those cupcakes you bought me yesterday?” She yells from there.

“What are you doing?”

“Found it!” She is retracting with a plastic container and setting it over the counter. “Now we need a candle. Where are the candles?” She asks barely recognizing that I’m there too.

“I don’t think we have candles.” I cross my arms leaning on the island. I’m just wondering where this is going.

“You need to blow the candles and to make a wish, it’s your birthday!” She is opening all the cabinets in the kitchen.

“Laura, my love.” I place my hands gently on her shoulders. “I think you need some sleep, before the contractions start to get too closer.”

“Just after you make your birthday wish on the cupcake.”

“Okay, I’ll provide something for that purpose.” I kiss her shoulder. “But you have to promise me that you’ll try to sleep after that.”

“I promise.” She turns to give me a peck and I go straight to the bathroom.

 

I take a large scented candle from under the sink and hand it to Laura.

“That’s not the kind of candle you can put on a cupcake.” She says a little disappointed looking at the candle.

“Let’s just be creative.” I turn to the stove, lighting the candle on it. I give it to Laura. “Just hold it over the cupcake.”

She does it, still looking a little sad. I close my eyes and I think about my wish, which is kind of obvious by this point. I open my eyes again.

“Alright, I’ve made my wish.” I blow the candle and Laura is giggling.

She places the candle on the island and claps her hands a little before pulling me for another kiss. Maybe this is a little soon to tell, but I think this is the best birthday I ever had.

“Now…” I open my eyes, retrieving from her. “…what about that nap?”

She brushes her belly. “Yeah, let’s head upstairs.”

 

 

**November 7th, 01:23 a.m.**

 

Laura is finally napping and I took the opportunity to read that book again, especially about the next phase. So, breathing techniques, keep track of the contractions, offer verbal reassurance and encouragement, give your undivided attention, massages, touches, okay, I think I got it. “Don’t think that there is something wrong if she is not responding to you.”

“What?” She says rolling in the bed. I think I said that out loud, fuck.

“Nothing, I’m just reading, go back to sleep.”

“I need to pee.” She is up again.

 

Next phase can last from 3 to 5 hours, the cervix will dilate from 4 to 7 centimeters. Well the actual phase hasn’t’ end yet, so I think things are going good so far.

“Carm?”

“Yeah?” 

I look up and I see her leaning on the doorframe with a peaceful expression. Good. This is really good.

“Come to bathtub with me.”

“I’m coming.”

 

 

**November 7th, 02:17 a.m.**

 

I’m thankful to the designer that suggested to have this bathtub in here. It’s so comfortable and so perfect, I just love it. I’ve already massaged her feet, rubbed her stomach and her back. I’ve trailed some kisses on her arms, that made her giggle. We even slept for 20 minutes straight. No funny business at all, this is not the moment for that, although Laura did grabbed my boobs for a while. She looks so cute with this round belly, that soon will disappear. I can barely remember how she was before. I’ll definitely miss this.

 

 

**November 7th, 03:55 a.m.**

 

“We still have some Buffy episodes to catch.”

“I’m not in the mood for Buffy.”

“Dr. Who?”

“You are really desperate, huh?”

“Veronica Mars.”

“No.”

“Agent Carter.”

“Aren’t you jealous of Peggy?”

“Peggy is not married at you, I am, so why would I be jealous of her?”

“You totally are.”

“I’m not.”

“Crap.”

 

(…)

 

“Forty-five seconds. Eight minutes apart.”

“We are getting closer…”

“You are doing great, baby.”

“It’s the second time you call me baby today.”

“Really? Didn’t notice that.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s that a bad thing? I can stop it, if you wan-”

“No, it’s not a bad thing, don’t worry.”

“Okay.”

 

 

**November 7th, 05:02 a.m.**

 

“Do you want anything to eat? I think you need to have something, it’s been a while.” I give her the cupcake, I’m sure she won’t deny it.

“I don’t want to eat in here. Crumbs can bring ants and cockroaches. Can you imagine a cockroach on our baby? Or a rat?”

“Before you say that a raccoon will have babies under the crib, I’ll vacuum here first thing tomorrow.”

“Yeah, a raccoon, that’s very possible!”

“Laura…” I take a deep breath. “Just have the cupcake, sweetheart. You know you can’t eat in the hospital.”

“Fine.” She stops to bounce on the rocking chair and takes the cupcake.

“Can’t wait to place the last picture in our frame.”

“Soon.” She smiles with a chocolate drop on her lips.

 

 

**November 7th, 06:12 a.m.**

 

“Five minutes, Cupcake. It’s time to go.” I tap the screen of my phone after her last contraction. This is really a long marathon. And this is just the beginning.

“Are you sure?” She looks worried, with her hands splayed on the kitchen island. I rub her back again.

“It’s been 10 hours since your water had broken, your contractions started right after, they are getting longer, and more intense, well…” I think I don’t need to say anything else. I know this is hard for her. Leaving the house makes it more real.

“Okay.” She nods, straightening her back.

“I’m going to grab our things. Just wait here for a minute, okay?”

She nods again and I kiss her cheek. I don’t take too long to take everything. We already went through the bags twice in the last hours. Most of the things are already in the car, but a couple of bags are still in our room. When I climb down the stairs, Laura is looking at her surroundings, with her hands propped on her hips. There is this sort of nostalgic expression on her face.

“Ready?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” She sighs. “Our home won’t be the same ever again. Well, our lives won’t be the same anymore.”

I drop the bags on the floor and I brush my hand gently on her back. She tilts her head, leaning on my shoulder. A tear is running down her face.

“Are you scared?” I ask her.

“No. I just can’t believe, you know?” She looks at me and I smile to her. “We have been through so much.”

“And this is just the beginning, my love.” I kiss her cheek giving her a tight hug.

“I love you.” She whispers in my ear.

“I love you too.” I whisper back.

 

 

**November 7th, 06:40 a.m.**

 

I’m holding her hand all the way to the hospital. The contractions are bearable, everything is going according to the plan. The nurses and midwives are so nice with her, well, with us. She is hooked up on the wires and in an IV. She is 3 centimeters dilated, so it’s phase 2 now, the shortest one. The longest one is done, but it was also the simpler one.

 

I just need to remember all about it. Breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, switch positions often, walking, warm baths, drink water, urinate. She will be fine.

“Carm?” She is pulling my hand.

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Don’t worry, okay?” She gives me this half smile, curling up the corner of her lips.

“I’m not worried.” I smile for her too.

She touches the middle of my eyebrows with her index finger. “This little frown here tells me otherwise.”

I pull her hand from my face and kiss it. “That’s just the normal broody me.”

“Can’t believe you are actually admitting that you are broody.”

“Well, no reason to deny it now, right?”

She giggles for a bit, before another wave hits her. I keep holding her hand, helping with the breathe technique. Her smile is totally gone.

 

 

**November 7th, 07:30 a.m.**

 

“Five centimeters.” The midwife says optimistic. “You are doing just fine, my dear.”

Laura nods, she can’t smile anymore, but it’s okay, I can smile for her.

“Do you want to walk a little?” I ask.

“Yes, that can be good for you.” The midwife says. Her name is Nora, I guess.

“Okay.” Laura agrees.

 

I walk with her around the room. After another contraction we make some relaxation exercises in a chair, like we learned in that yoga studio. She wants to have me touching her at every moment. Sometimes it looks like she is not really recognizing my presence, but if I leave her side for just a moment, she makes the saddest eyes that I ever seen.

 

Someone enters in the room and talks to the midwife in a corner. That doesn’t look good.

 

“I think I want to get in the bathtub.” Laura says with her arms around my shoulder.

“We are going to get you there, Cupcake.”

The midwife is coming and she leads Laura to the bathtub prepared for this in other room.

 

“You got a hell of an insurance, Cupcake.” I say playfully, while she is crouched in the water.

“I didn’t want to be cheap for that.” She is leaning her head on the edge and I’m brushing her hair with my fingers.

 

Nora is giving a pointed look at me and I kiss Laura’s forehead excusing myself for a moment with some bathroom emergency. A nurse is coming to take my place, monitoring Laura while I follow the midwife to the hallway.

“Carmilla, there is a situation in the reception, maybe you can handle it.”

“What situation?”

“When your wife got admitted for her labor, her file was accessed and some intern made a call to her emergency contact.”

“And what is the problem? I didn’t get any call.”

“You were not the person listed in her emergency contact. They checked the form twice, unfortunately your wife forgot the update that field.”

“So, what happened? Don’t tell me that-“

“A woman named Danny Lawrence is in the front desk, she wants to see Laura and she refuses to leave. With her name in your wife file it’s hard for us to force her to leave without the consent of your wife.”

“Fucking Danny.” I look at the midwife again, a little embarrassed of my filthy mouth. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry, dear. I understand you.” She looks at the end of the hall and back at me. “Do you want to ask for her consent? Do you know this woman?”

“Yes, I do.” I let out a frustrated breath. Everything was going so fine until fucking Xena. “She is her ex-girlfriend. With everything that happened lately she probably forgot about that.”

“So, how do you want to deal with the situation?”

“Don’t tell her a thing, let me deal with it.”

“Okay, but you know she is going to ask for you soon, you can’t leave her alone for too long.”

“I know. Tell Laura I’m still in the bathroom with a very bad case of food poisoning, while I talk to her ex.”

 

She nods and I walk down the hall. The front desk is right in the end of it. I take a deep breath before heading to the last door. And she is there, in all of her 6 feet of obnoxious looks towards me.

“You’re the last person I expected to see here, Elvira!”

“I can say the same, Xena. Why don’t you go back to jump your little beams and leave us alone?”

“I’m not going away while Laura is having our kid.”

“Yes you will, because this kid it’s not yours. He never was, just get the hell out of here!”

“If that was really the case so why Laura left my name in her emergency contact, huh? She clearly has some sort of feelings for me.”

“Are you out of your mind? Laura has no feelings for you, Sasquatch! What do you think I’m doing in here?”

“You are a nosy blood sucker-“

“I’m her wife!” I yell unintentionally. “We are married. I know this a hard concept for you to understand, but that’s what some people do when they want to spend the rest of their lives together.”

“You got to be fucking kidding me!”

She is hopelessly pulling her own hair. It’s pathetic.

“You know what? I don’t give a damn, I’m going to see her anyway!” 

“Only over my dead body!” I jump to block her way, but she is advancing like I’m not even here.

Suddenly she stops dead on place.

“Laura…” She says in her whining voice and I turn to the doors, still uselessly grabbing her arms.

Laura is there, with a furious look, accompanied by the nurse holding her IV bag and Nora, who is standing by her side with her face marked by worried wrinkles.

“Danny, leave.” Laura says dryly, with her gown loosely covering her body still a little wet.

“Laur, I’m here for you.” Danny says with a pleading voice.

I turn to Danny, pushing her to the other direction in vain. I see Kirsch coming from the elevator and he is hurrying in our direction.

“Carmilla, let her be, I need you with me.” After that I step out from Danny and I join Laura, holding her hand firmly. Kirsch looks confused, stopping in his way.

I give a last look to her ex-girlfriend and, even though I’m really pissed at this whole fucked up situation, I feel a little bad too. The look on Danny’s face is so hurtful that I can’t be mad anymore. But when Laura has another contraction, wincing in pain, I’m furious again because I feel like all we did to avoid the stress was lost in just a couple of minutes.

I don’t see what happens next to Danny and I don’t even care. I’m walking with Laura back to her room and that’s all that matters now.

 

 

**November 7th, 08:37 a.m.**

 

I receive a text from Perry. She said she was talking with Danny in the waiting room. She also said that if we need something to just tell her. Mr. Hollis also called me. He was kind of mad that we took too long to tell him about the labor. It was late and we didn’t want to wake people up. He is in the waiting room too, with Perry and Laf. I give them some updates. Laura is 7 centimeters dilated, we are in the phase 3 now, closer to the push part. She is really focused to deal with her pain, that it’s getting worse by the minute. It’s so painful to see her like that, having contractions at every 2 minutes, enduring the pain with so much confidence and focus. Her doctor comes in.

“Drugs, Doc.” She says to him after another stronger one.

“We are going to give you an epidural right away, we’ll get the anesthesiologist.” Dr. Collins says with his usual upbeat mood. “The baby is fine, and you are really a brave soldier, Laura.”

 

She is not getting any of his small talk. She is curled on her side, making this expression she does when she is about to cry, but she is not crying really. The anesthesiology comes and I thank him after I see Laura’s expression getting soft. She is not crushing my hand like before. 

“More water?” I ask her. She grumbles something that means no.

“Pee?”

“Pee... yeah.”

I’m taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom.

“Don’t you want to poop?”

She raises her eyes to me. “No. But… if I do that during the push time, please don’t let me know. Ever.”

I chuckle. “Okay.”

She takes more deep breaths and I help her to get back to the bed. She goes from night to daylight the more the drug is running through her system.

“How are you feeling?” I ask approaching my mouth to her face. 

“I’m a new woman, Carm.” She extends her other hand to my face and cups my chin. “I feel human again, a true human being.”

Nora looks at me with a timid smile, then back to Laura. “Want to cuddle with your wife again? We still have to wait some time to reach the 10 centimeters, dear.”

Laura nods and I’m climbing on the bed with her. I brush her belly and I can feel Riley moving non stop. If he is anything like his mom he is probably very impatient to be out of there too. Laura giggles and I brush her hair away from her face, kissing both of her cheeks. She snuggles on my chest and I feel light again. Dr. Collins is taking more notes. He says he will be back later and Laura just waves to him. I kiss her forehead and I rest my eyes for a moment. Sometimes I forget how all of this is also affecting my own body.

 

 

**November 7th, 10:05 a.m.**

 

“I’m kind of bore, Carm.” She is playing with some curls of my hair, while I’m sat on a chair with half of my body over the bed. She wanted to brush my hair for a change.

“Want to watch some TV?”

“No… no TV.”

“Want to play with that silly game on your phone? I just recharged it.”

“No, I want to hear some story from you.”

“What kind of story?”

“Hum…” She stops to brush my hair and I prop up to my armchair again. The lack of sleep is taking a toll on me. “When did you start to write that book?”

“Many months ago.”

“How many exactly? We were already dating?”

“Well, we were not dating really, but we were having sex.”

“That long, huh?”

“Yeah. I was not planning to write a book for you. I was just writing my feelings for you and the book just born like that. I had no idea where it would end up.”

“I didn’t know you could be so sentimental, Carm.”

“I’m not…” I’m feeling my face getting hot, but I don’t mind. She is actually smiling at me. I missed that.

“Isn’t that the stranger birthday that you ever had?”

“Stranger it’s a good word to describe it, but not the only one.”

“No?”

I shake my head. “It’s bittersweet. Hard. Happy. Long. Unexpected. Sweet.” I take her hand again, squeezing it lightly. “Tiring.”

She chuckles. “Definitely tiring.”

 

 

**November 7th, 12:34 p.m.**

 

“Ten centimeters. It’s time to push.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one is definitely the last one.
> 
> Don't be a stranger: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/


	36. Riley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one with the Hollstein baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end.
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you had a Happy Christmas, or whatever you celebrate. In case you don't, maybe this can make things a teeny tiny better, maybe.

**Chapter 36 – Riley**

 

This is it, Laura thought. That’s why she was enduring 16 hours of pain. To get to this point. Well, not just 16 hours of countless contractions, but also the days, weeks and months prior to that moment. Wishing and dreaming. Plaining and working on it. She had her heart broke into pieces. Then amended again. She met the love of her life. And her heart, was better than ever. So much better.

 

Life wasn’t getting any easier, that was true. But she was not expecting for easy, she wanted it to be fulfilling. That’s the whole reason of it, right? Of life.

 

So when the midwife told her that she could start to push at any moment, a little movie was playing in her head. There is no turning back. Life will change again, for good.

 

She didn’t hesitate. She contemplated. Just for a second. But it felt like a year. Life is going to change. Deep breaths and pushes. Again. And again.

 

“That’s it Cupcake, one more.” Said Carmilla by her side, never leaving her hand.

 

She looked at her left hand. She missed to see her rings in there. They were both hanging around her neck. But when she couldn’t see them, she would just take Carmilla’s hand and it would do the trick. Most of the times just look at Carmilla was enough.

 

She made a mental note to thank Carmilla later. She could recognize everything Carmilla was doing for her, but not respond the way she wanted. Her mind was focused in one thing only: to bring Riley to world safe and sound.

 

“Breathe and push.”

“Just one more.”

“One more.”

“Yeah, sweetheart, push.”

“Push.”

“Again.”

“Push.”

 

After the last push, Laura was leaning her back against the bed again.

“Baby you can do it, I have faith in you, okay? Come on, breathe with me.” Carmilla was brushing her hair, while Laura was mirroring Carmilla’s breathe movements.

“I can feel everything.” Laura said panting. 

Carmilla kissed her hand. “It’s alright. Nora said Riley is doing just fine, okay? Dr. Collins is returning soon.”

“I think this position is not helping.” Laura looked to her legs and back to Carmilla, then to the midwife. “I want to turn to my side.”

“Okay Laura, let’s do the way you feel better.” Nora said helping Laura to turn to her side.

She put Carmilla to hold one of Laura’s legs, giving her support for the next contraction.

“Don’t forget to stop to push when you are crowning, sweetie.” Said the midwife.

“Okay.” Laura said with her trembling voice.

 

The next contraction came and Carmilla was holding Laura firmly. More pushes. More verbal encouragement.

 

And the minutes passed by, turning into hours. For Carmilla it was like days. For Laura, it was years. She could not talk anymore. Only moans and grunts were leaving her mouth.

“You are crowning, stop to push, Laura.” Said Dr. Collins. “His little head is here, let’s take it easy now.”

The next part was easier indeed. Gently, Doctor Collins was pulling Riley while instructing Laura to push in key moments. The room was silence in anticipation. Only Collins’ and Laura’s voice could be heard. Carmilla looked at everything apprehensive.

“Here he is.” Was the last thing he said before placing the tiny human, still quiet over Laura’s chest.

A nurse was brushing his back with a cloth, keeping him in place while Laura was moving her hands towards him. Carmilla was trembling, feeling the tears stinging her eyes.

“Hey.” Laura said to him, still a little afraid to touch the little bundle covered in white goo.

“Little guy.” Carmilla was finally meeting Laura’s hand over him.

His eyes were opening and for a short moment he was looking directly into Laura’s eyes. “Are you okay, Riley?” She said in a sweet voice, grabbing his little hand. “Yes, you are.”

Like in a cue he started to cry, making his brand new lungs to work for air. It started as a small whining, growing to a louder, but still restrained cry.

Carmilla chuckled. “He is perfect.”

“You’ll be alright, little one, hang in there.” Laura said before the nurse removed him to be cleaned and examined properly.

 

Dr. Collins placed a hand on Laura’s calf. “You did great Laura.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” She gave him a timid smile while Carmilla was kissing her temple.

“I love you.” Carmilla whispered in Laura’s ear. “You’re amazing.”

Laura held Carmilla’s hand again, pulling her for a hug.

“I love you too.” Laura took a long breath snuggling in Carmilla for a second. “Now go keep an eye on him. I’m fine.”

Carmilla was wiping her tears while retrieving from Laura. She gave a last look at her wife and straightened her back. They were fine. Her wife and son. But for some reason, the room was getting dark and silent.

 

**+++**

 

Carmilla opened her eyes in a strange place, only finding a familiar face to easy a little the distress in her mind.

“Where the hell am I?”

“Hello new mom!” Said Lafontaine with a snarky smile. “Feeling better?”

“Where’s Laura? And Riley?” She was sitting up in a fast motion.

“Easy there, mama. You need to rest.” They held her shoulder to keep her in the bed.

“Rest? No, I need to see my family.”

“Calm down. Laura is fine, the baby is fine, and you need to rest. Perry is with them.”

“What happened? And why am I in here?” She looked at the IV bag connected to her arm and furrowed her eyes automatically.

“Well, you took good care of your wife but not so much of yourself. You were dehydrated and your glycemic levels dropped drastically. That’s why you are here.”

“I’m feeling better, now help me here.” She demanded to her friend, making her way out of the bed.

“The doctor said you should rest more.” Lafontaine protested, still trying to bring some sense to Carmilla. But it was useless.

 

“I’m fine.” She was taking the IV bag from the hook and Lafontaine helped her with the task. “Just lead me back to her room.”

“Okay, but if they ask, tell them I tried to tie you in the bed or something.”

“I don’t think that helps anything.” She sighed opening the door and walking down a long hall. “How long was I out?”

They looked at their watch. “For like… 2 hours.”

“Two hours? Fuck, fuck…” Carmilla was increasing her pace. “And how was the placenta delivery? Everything okay?”

“Yes, as I told you, everything is fine. Perry said like 5 minutes ago that Laura was breastfeeding him.”

“Damn! I can’t believe I missed that.”

“We are getting there, you don’t have to freak out.”

 

They turned a corner and Carmilla widened her eyes. “I know where I am, give me the bag.”

“You’re not going to run.” They held Carmilla by her shoulder.

“Come on, ginger snap!” Carmilla whined twisting her arms.

“You are going to faint again if you keep this attitude.” They said severely looking deep in Carmilla’s eyes. “Do you want miss any other moment of your new born?”

Carmilla rolled her eyes pouting. “No.”

“So, let’s take it easy, alright?” They released her.

“Fine.”

 

Carmilla opened the door of Laura’s room and found her laid on the bed with their son in her arms. A nurse was assisting Laura while Perry was looking at the scene with heart eyes.

 

Lafontaine felt a little uncomfortable looking at their boss breast out in the open, turning their gaze and blushed cheeks to Perry.

 

Carmilla kept walking with the IV in hand. “Hey.” She said getting Laura’s attention.

“Heyyy.” Laura looked up to her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.” She nodded opening a goofy smile. “What about you two?”

“We are great!” She let out a pain complain after feeling a pinch in her nipple. “Kind of.”

The nurse looked at Carmilla and asked for her IV bag, hooking it next to Laura’s bed.

“He is so cute.” Carmilla said touching his face lightly.

Laura opened a large smile. “Yeah, he is.”

“Sweetie, we are going to get something to eat. If you need anything, just send us a text, okay?” Perry said with a polite smile pulling Lafontaine with her.

“You can stay if you want, Perry.”

“You need some privacy and we need to eat.” Perry looked pointedly to Lafontaine, who nodded. “And happy birthday, Carmilla.” 

Perry hugged Carmilla briefly. “You got yourself quite a present, huh?”

Carmilla looked shyly to Perry. “Yeah, better impossible.” She exchanged a look with Laura.

“Tell my dad that Carmilla is fine, please.”

“Sure. See you soon!” Perry and Lafontaine waved their goodbyes and left the room. Right after the nurse did the same, before making sure Laura had anything she needed.

 

“So, how you doing? Does it hurt?” Carmilla asked with an apprehensive expression, approaching her bed again.

“I little.” Laura tilted her head to the side. “Sometimes a lot, but the nurse said it will get easier.”

 

Carmilla leaned more into the bed. Laura scooted to the side and patted the empty space so Carmilla could climb on the bed with her. Carmilla adjusted her IV and joined Laura. She kissed her wife left cheek before wrapping an arm around her.

“He is so small.”

“Yeah. But he is also kind of big. The doctor said he will probably be very tall.”

“Is he really fine? They did all the tests?”

“Yes, he is.” Laura reassured her. “He aced all of his tests. He is a very heath baby, don’t worry.”

Carmilla took a deep breath “Oh God, I’m so relieved.”

“Me too. He is so calm. I barely heard him crying.”

“That was basically the last thing I heard before I passed out.”

Laura looked sternly to Carmilla “You scared the shit out of me, Carmilla!”

“Language.” Carmilla said in a snarky tone.

Laura pouted. “I’m serious. Luckily Dr. Collins caught you before you hit the floor. You were so freaking pale.”

“I’m sorry.” Carmilla said sincerely.

Laura sighed, kissing Carmilla’s cheek. “I’m glad you are better now.”

 

Carmilla gave Laura a half smile and followed by a peck on her lips. They looked at each other a little longer before returning their attention to Riley, peacefully feeding on his mom breast.

“I can’t really see the color of his eyes, but I think he looks like you.” Carmilla commented.

“Really? Well, his eyes are kind of grey and brownish... it will probably change, I think. He is still very bloated, his features will change a little too.”

“And he has a lot of hair.” She chuckled, brushing her fingertips in his little thin strands.

“Yeah. I think he is blond, but there is also this reddish tone. That’s will probably change too. I was very blond when I was born, but my hair was getting dark with time.” She shrugged. “Maybe it will happen with him too, who knows?”

“Well, I was always a brunet, so…” Carmilla shrugged too. “But yeah, I get what you mean, hair color can change naturally.”

 

Riley released Laura’s nipple, moving his little arms in the direction of his face. Laura looked at Carmilla staring at him with a smile she never saw before.

“Can you hold him? I need to adjust my bra.”

Carmilla looked a little in panic. “Sure.” Despite the word sure, she didn’t sound sure at all.

“Come here, you can do it. He is so light.” Laura raised him from her chest and handed him to Carmilla. “Just don’t forget to support his head.”

Carmilla nodded placing her hands around him, making sure to sustain his head. She was feeling happy and scared at the same time. Again. 

Slowly she brought Riley to her embrace. A warmth sensation was taking her whole heart at once. The feeling was so overwhelmed that tears were rolling down her face. How could she love that tiny human so much in so short time?

“Are you okay?” Laura asked worried.

Carmilla nodded. “This is the best birthday that I ever had.”

 

**+++**

 

“Hey! Happy birthday kid!” Mr. Hollis said as soon as he saw Carmilla in the room, giving her a tight hug. 

“Thanks, John.” Carmilla said after he released her.

“I’m sorry for your party, but I think this was so much better, right?” He nudged her.

“You have no idea.” Carmilla exchange a look with Laura and back to her father-in-law.

“Have you met your grandson?”

“Only through the glass of the nursery.” He approached Laura in the bed, who was carrying the baby in her arms.

“What a small little thing you are.” He chuckled.

“Want to hold him, dad?”

“Of course!” He approached more to Laura and took Riley into his arms. “Hello, little pumpkin! Lord, you look a lot like Laura!”

“Do you think?” Laura asked with a suspicious brow.

“Yeah, kiddo. I was looking at your baby pictures these days, he look exactly like you.” He said still examining the baby little face under his face.

“I told you.” Carmilla smirked to Laura patting her leg.

“I can’t see it.” Laura shrugged.

“He is just like you.” He chuckled again. “Have you decided on his name? I mean, his full name?”

“We were just talking about it.” Laura looked at Carmilla and back to her dad. “We are naming him Riley Patrick Karnstein-Hollis.”

“Riley Patrick, huh?” He raised the boy above his head. “Yeah, that suits you, little pumpkin.”

“Patrick was the name of Carmilla’s father.” Laura explained.

“It’s a perfect choice, girls.” He looked at the baby again. “Welcome to the family, Riley Patrick Karnstein-Hollis.” He chuckled. “What a big name, you will get a hard time to learn that, won’t you? Yes you will.” He said in a baby voice, making Laura and Carmilla laugh at him too.

 

**+++**

 

After Mr. Hollis visit, Perry and Lafontaine returned to the room. Everybody carried Riley for a while until the nurse got him back to the nursery. Carmilla decided to take a shower while Laura was saying goodbye to her friends. When Carmilla returned from their private bathroom, Laura was pouting on the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Carmilla asked her.

“I miss him.”

Carmilla gave her a sympathetic smile nodding. “Me too.”

“I know I need to sleep, I’m really, really tired but I… I just miss him.” She touched her smaller belly now, looking down. “I had no idea I would feel that.”

“He’ll be here soon, okay? We really need to rest.” She kissed Laura’s temple and gave her a reassurance hug.

“Okay.” Laura nodded and Carmilla laid on the large armchair by Laura’s bed.

Carmilla started to feel that too, when she closed her eyes. The sort of emptiness that wasn’t there in the morning, or in the day before. Or ever.

“Goodnight, Cupcake.” She extended her hand to Laura’s bed. Laura took her hand and squeezed it.

“Goodnight, Carm.”

 

**+++**

 

Everything felt better in the next morning. Laura fed Riley again and Carmilla snuggled with him over the armchair while Laura was taking a nap. She’d spent two whole hours just watching him grab her fingers between his little hands, occasionally kissing his forehead and brushing his fluffy hair.

 

She got impressed about how much attention he gave to her every time she talked to him.

 

“I think you recognize my voice, huh, tiny Laura?”

“Are you bullying our son?” Laura rolled in bed looking at Carmilla with a wrinkled face.

Carmilla giggled. “He is the spitting image of you, sweetheart.” Carmilla smirked to her. “And I’m sure he won’t mind me calling him little you.”

“I’m so going to tell him in the future how you loved to embarrassing him since the day he was born.”

“Technically he was born yesterday, and I barely talked to him yesterday, I just said over and over how cute he was. That’s not embarrassing, that’s just a fact.”

“Oh, shut up and bring him here, it’s my turn to hold him.”

 

Carmilla stood up and approached the bed. “You basically held him for 9 months and I can’t even have him for just 2 hours? You’re selfish, Cupcake.” She made a faux disapproving face to Laura.

Laura was pouting and Carmilla smirked again. “I’m kidding, you don’t need to be this grumpy. He needs to be fed, right?”

Laura nodded, slightly smiling and Carmilla handed Riley to her.

“So, can we leave the hospital today?” Carmilla leaned on the bed watching Laura feeding Riley.

“Only if he poops.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, that’s what the pediatrician said.”

“What about you, how are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Sored and tired, but I’m good to go too.” She was startled by a tiny pinch in her nipple. She bit her lower lip frowning. “I’m glad you don’t have teeth yet.”

Carmilla giggled. “Getting used to this?”

Laura sighed. “Not yet, but I’ll eventually.”

 

Later the doctor released Laura and Riley. Carmilla took the baby carrier to the room and bucked up Riley. Mr. Hollis helped carrying the rest of the things to his car. The short trip from the room to the car made the mothers’ hearts to accelerate. John was pushing Laura in the hospital wheelchair while Carmilla was taking Riley.

 

She attached his carrier to the car seat and took on the driver’s seat, while Laura was fastening her own seat belt. They looked at each other and to the tiny human in the back seat. The smile on their faces could not be any bigger.

 

**+++**

 

The sun was setting when they finally tucked Riley in his crib. They could not stop staring at him, peaceful sleeping.

“I can’t believe he is so quiet.” Carmilla said with her right arm wrapped around Laura’s waist.

“Why you can’t believe?” Laura asked raising her head from Carmilla’s shoulder.

“You went through a lot during pregnancy, he moved like crazy and well…” She shrugged. “I think your genetics doesn’t help either.”

“Can you stop saying I’m a noisy person?” Laura slapped lightly Carmilla’s arm over her.

Carmilla chuckled. “I think I exerted some sort of influence on him, that’s the only explanation.”

“Or it’s just his personality. If you had such influence on him he who would be brooding since the moment he’d opened his eyes.” Laura stuck out her tongue to Carmilla. Riley started to whine.

“He is awaking, damn, we are terrible parents.” Carmilla ran her free hand into her hair.

Laura clucked her tongue. “No, I think he is just rolling his eyes for you.”

“If he could do that would not be for me.”

Laura wrinkled her nose and frowned. “Oh God, are you feeling this smell?”

“Yeah, he pooped. ”

 

Laura took him from the crib smelling his dippers. “He definitely pooped.” She placed him over the change table. “Okay, let’s do this. Help me here.”

Carmilla took the wipes, the baby powder and a new dipper while Laura was undressing him. “Don’t forget the powder.”

“Got everything.” Carmilla said placing the things next to his feet.

Laura was twitching her face with a disgusted frown, handing the dirty dipper to Carmilla. “What is this, explosive diarrhea? Give me the wipes.”

Carmilla chuckled tossing the dipper in the trash and handing Laura a wipe. 

“He is moving quite a lot now that is he is naked.” She was struggling to clean him properly.

“Let me hold him.” Carmilla said turning around Laura and holding Riley upper body in place. “Better?”

“Kind of. Urgh, I need more wipes.” Laura sighed. “When the nurse did it, it looked so much easier. I have zero experience in deal with penises.” She looked pointedly to Carmilla.

“Don’t look at me, I barely looked at one once.”

She wiped him a little more. “Alright, I think everything is clean.” She turned her head to Carmilla again, hearing her making funny noises with her mouth. “What are you doing?”

“Distracting him. He was about to cry.”

Laura laughed. “You are distracting me, honey. I think I need a third hand in here.”

“What you need?”

“The powder.”

“Hold him here and I get it for you.”

“Right.” Laura held his legs with one hand and his chest with the other.

Carmilla went to the other side of Laura and opened the powder giving it to Laura. A little after Laura started to spread the powder a stream of pee flew directly to Carmilla’s shirt.

“Damn, he peed on me!” Carmilla gave a step back making her classical broody face while Laura was laughing.

“I forgot that was a possibility.” Laura said lifting Riley’s legs and cleaning the pee under him.

“We are clearing doing it wrong, I’ll google how to change a diaper.” Carmilla grabbed her phone.

“No! No Google, there’s got to be another way.” Laura protested.

“Or another person.” Carmilla raised her brow making a call. 

“Who are you calling?”

Carmilla ignored Laura pleads. “Hey, we need your help with something.”

“Carm?”

“Yeah you got it right, it’s the diaper. He peed on me and Laura is still struggling to put the clean one.” She smiled looking up to Laura. “Okay, thank you, we’ll wait for you.” 

“Who is coming?”

“Well, who else knows how to change a dipper?” Laura made an inquisitive look and Carmilla rolled her eyes. “How can you be so oblivious, Cupcake? It’s your father.” She looked down to her stained shirt.

“My father?! I don’t even know if he changed my dippers, and it was ages ago, I’m sure he forgot all about it.”

“I really need a shower.” Carmilla said pulling down the hem of her shirt.

“Carmilla Karnstein, you can’t just call my father like that without asking me first.” Laura looked at Carmilla reprehensive.

Carmilla tilted her head to the side. “You said I could not google it, so what’s the big deal? Your father is so nice about these things, he was really excited to come here.”

“We were supposed to take care of our son by ourselves. This will create a very bad precedent with dad, he’ll come here every day to make sure we are doing things right.”

Carmilla opened one of drawers of the changing table. “Relax Cupcake, you know your father have changed, give him some credit, okay?” Carmilla approached Laura covering Riley with a towel. 

“Wow, I don’t need to be wet too.” She dodged from Carmilla. “Okay, I’ll let my guard down, or whatever. But if dad gets too over us, you’ll be the one to tell him to back off.”

“Deal.” Carmilla wrapped Riley and pull him to her arms. “Don’t you want to sit a little while we wait for him? You can’t be on your feet for too long.”

“Yeah, that would be good.” Laura stretched her back and shoulders, giving a kiss in her son’s and wife’s cheeks, before sitting down on the armchair.

Carmilla placed a kiss on Riley’s head. “God, you pissed on me and I can’t even be mad at you, little guy.”

Laura giggled looking at her little happy family. All the pain worth it. Even the one she was still feeling. All worth it.

 

**+++**

 

Mr. Hollis didn’t take long to get in the house and to teach the girls how to change a dipper. They just needed to pay attention to some simple things that could make a big difference in the final result. They learned to put the new dipper under the dirty one, in case he would do something in the middle of the changing. And to place some towel or cloth to avoid the occasional pee that only boys could project like that. Not even Mr. Hollis knew that, but Carmilla google it anyway.

 

There would be more dippers to be changed over the years, surely they would be experts in no time.

 

At night, they placed Riley in a smaller crib by their bed. It would be so much easier to keep an eye at him during the night. It was Jennifer, the pregnant friend Laura made at parent class, who suggested that. But for many nights Riley slept in the bed with both of them. Laura pumped some milk to keep it in the fridge so Carmilla could feed him occasionally, and she could sleep during more hours in the night.

 

The house was getting a mess, but in a lazy Monday, two weeks after the birth, Carmilla woke up early and took care of everything, while Laura was snuggling with him in bed. Later she was waked up on the couch by a couple of kisses from Laura.

“Hey.” Laura said when Carmilla opened her eyes.

“Did I sleep?” Carmilla looked confused to her surroundings.

“Yep.” Laura nodded giving her a smile. “Something came in the mail.”

“How is Riley?”

“Sleeping.” Laura sat on the couch and opened an envelop showing Carmilla a pair of pictures.

Carmilla smiled looking at the pictures. “Let’s hang them now, what do you think?”

Laura nodded giving her another peck and standing up. “Yeah, let’s go!”

 

She extended her hand to Carmilla and both headed upstairs, entering the nursery. Above the crib where Riley was sleeping, four other pictures were telling a story that hadn’t end yet. Laura took the frame and placed it over the changing table, attaching one of the pictures in the remaining space. Carmilla attached the second, giving the frame back to Laura. She leaned her body over the crib hanging the frame back to its place, with the fifth and sixth photos completing a phase of their journey. The photo number 5 pictured Laura and Carmilla holding hands in front of the lake in their wedding day. And photo number 6 pictured little Riley between their arms.

“You know, that moment I decided to take you to the lake, I even didn’t know that you were pregnant or had any idea what was ahead of us. All I wanted was to make you smile again.”

“And you did.” Laura looked at Carmilla giving her a very known smile. “In that same moment I felt for the first time some sort of hope about my future. I could not understand exactly why, but I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore.” She took Carmilla’s hand and squeezed it. “Now everything makes sense.” She looked down to their baby. “Everything is just perfect in the less perfect way.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everybody that commented and supported this story in any possible way, and especially to:
> 
> Robin: for your hard work revising some of the hardest chapter that I've ever written, and for your approach on point in moments that I could not make any better. Thank you!
> 
> LadyKiller: for you awesome comments since day one (I figured out your first weird alias)
> 
> Maruchi: for paying attention to the details and making me laugh with your dorkiness (please don't be mad, I mean that in the best way ;)
> 
> cherrychapstick: For your short but very thoughtful comments full of <3 and :3
> 
> starryeyedforyou: for your lovely support and enthusiasm
> 
> Also a special thanks to:  
> tvproducer02  
> WhatTheWhat  
> flor+baeza  
> LizaCabello  
> Grumblinggay  
> Madison  
> httpctrl
> 
> That’s was an emotional and very unexpected journey for me. Maybe I’m not a good writer, but I’m definitely a better one. Every experience changes us.  
> See you again in 2016 with more Hollstein fluff, angst, dork parents, crazy friends and what else my mind can come up with. Bye!
> 
>  
> 
> You still can find me in here: http://theoasisintheisland.tumblr.com/
> 
>  
> 
> Happy New Year!!!


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